Hergé was inspired to develop the plot for "The Red Sea Sharks" after reading a magazine article detailing the continued existence of the slave trade within the Arab world, in which it was claimed that African pilgrims headed to Mecca were being enslaved during the journey. Hergé included a reference to this slave trade in the story's original French title, "Coke en Stock" ("Coke on Board"), which referred to the slave smuggler's use of "coke" as a codeword for the enslaved people.