Hassan Ali Sayar works in Dammam for the Saudi Arab shipping firm of Yousif ibn Ahmed Kanoo. He has an intimate knowledge of Dammam Port, principal east coast point of entry for imports into Saudi Arabia. At home Hassan frequently tells his son, Faisal Hassan, about all the activity going on around the piers there. One recent Friday, which is the Muslim Sabbath, Hassan took the boy on a tour of the Persian Gulf pier facilities. Faisal was not quite old enough to appreciate the economic importance of the growing port that serves the entire eastern half of his country. For a ten-year-old, it was enough to marvel at diesel switch engines, giant cranes, railroad cars, busy tugboats, and ships bringing in goods from all over the world.
