The British are primarily interested in controlling the Qawasim, whose main centers are Ra's al Khaymah, Ajman, and ash-Shariqah, which are all small ports along the southeastern gulf coast.

The British navy does not succeed in controlling the piracy situation in the Persian Gulf until 1819, when the British send a fleet from India that destroys the pirates' main base at Ra's al Khaymah, a Qawasim port at the southern end of the gulf.

From Ra's al Khaymah, the British fleet destroys Qawasim ships along both sides of the gulf.

The British are principally concerned to secure the area so that it will not pose a threat to shipping to and from their possessions in India.

Having no desire to take over the desolate areas along the gulf, and knowing that the sultan in Oman cannot be relied upon to control the pirates, the British decide to leave in power those tribal leaders who have not been conspicuously involved with piracy.

They conclude a series of treaties in which those leaders promise to suppress all piracy.

Consequently, the Arab side of the gulf comes to be known as the “trucial coast”.

This area had previously been under the nominal control of the sultan in Oman, although the trucial coast tribes were not part of the Ibadi imamate.

The area is also referred to as “trucial Oman” to distinguish it from the part of Oman under the sultan that is not bound by treaty obligation.