When a replacement part for a ship scheduled to call at Dubai was needed from a supplier in Norway, air freight was not available in 1976. That part had to be driven to Dubai in a freight vehicle.
The gruelling journey to the small shipping and oil drilling outpost of Dubai at the shore of the Arabian Gulf had to be served by road freight companies from Western Europe. The combination of a lack of other shipping options and growing demand for goods from Europe meant these companies established regular freight runs.
Road transport was often a more reliable and quicker option than shipping by sea then.
These days, a British firm still advertises road routes to the Middle East despite the various regional conflicts that might disrupt traffic.