sbdcsierra Chapter 1858 Zhanggang
Chapter 1858 Zhanggang
Chapter 1858 Return to Hong Kong
Ye Yaodong can now simply continue fishing at sea as usual, waiting for the ocean tugboats arranged by the authorities to arrive.
It won't interfere with his fishing or anything else. If there are schools of fish, he can chase after them as much as he wants. There's a boat here to keep an eye on things so the cargo holds don't drift away.
He finalized the crew subsidies, first informing the other captains before notifying the crew of his own ship.
"Our ships weren't capable of towing that cargo ship back, so the authorities didn't offer much of a reward, just a small fuel subsidy, which wasn't even enough to cover my losses from the day's delay."
"Next, all we need to do is keep an eye on that cargo ship, make sure it doesn't drift away and get lost, and then we can wait for the ocean tugboat company to come and take over."
“I also asked for benefits for everyone, but the authorities only gave a small subsidy to the crew members who went on board to investigate, 200 yuan per person. The others didn’t get anything.”
"I thought we shouldn't favor one person over another, so everyone got 200 yuan, and the 20 people who went on the boat to help check got 500 yuan each."
"That's it. The other ships have been notified. When we get back, we can collect our wages from the finance department. I will also give an explanation when I get back."
"Alright, that's all for now. Everyone, go about your business. Those who need to haul in the nets, haul them in; those who need to collect the fish, collect them."
After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he cut off the broadcast, ignoring the discussions among the workers below.
Ah Zheng was still somewhat dissatisfied, "Tsk tsk tsk, the government is really stingy. After this haul is done, we'll board the ship again and search it up to see what else we can take!"
“If they can’t give it to us, we’ll take it ourselves. Anyway, there’s no one on this ship, so we can just say that the crew got off the ship and took the things. There’s no way to investigate that.”
“If they can’t afford it, we’ll find a way to make up for it ourselves, otherwise we won’t be able to recover the losses you made yesterday.”
Ye Yaodong shook his head. "There are mostly large pieces of wood and planks on top, as well as some steel cables. There's nothing easy to carry, and it's too much trouble to move. Let's just leave it like this."
"Let's look again and see if there are any other small items. When you went there, you weren't prepared at all, right? You just took a quick look to see what was on board. When it's my turn to get on the ship, I'll search it for you. Maybe we can find a few more valuable boxes."
"I looked very carefully. Their goods weren't piled up haphazardly; they were all very orderly. The boards were stacked neatly, and the specifications were all exactly the same, making it easy to see at a glance. There weren't many boxes on the ship, so there's no need to worry about anything being missed. The only boxes on the entire ship were the ones I brought back, so there won't be any strays. There's no need to look any further. If there were anything valuable, they would definitely have taken it with them when they left. These few boxes might not have been able to be taken because the small boat couldn't hold them, or perhaps it was too rushed."
"Ok."
Since that's what he said, he had nothing more to say.
"Be content. 50 Motorolas, probably the latest models. The most expensive Motorolas cost 30,000 to 40,000 yuan each. That's worth over a million yuan. That's enough. Don't be too greedy."
"You earned this through your own abilities, so it's not bad overall. It's just that I was a little angry when I heard it was only 30."
Ye Yaodong patted him on the shoulder with a smile, knowing that A-Zheng was standing up for him and felt that he had been wronged.
"Anyway, I didn't lose out. You got a mobile phone, and everyone else got one too. Now everyone's happy."
"I don't know when the tugboat will arrive."
"Just wait, it'll probably take a week. Let's just consider it a few more days of fishing."
He had already sent the fish-collecting boat away the day before yesterday when he decided to go back.
In a few days, when another cargo ship arrives, the goods can be transferred and sent back.
The remaining fishing boats will fish for as many days as they can, and when the tugboats arrive, they will help to tow the fishing boats back with them.
For the next week or so, nothing unusual happened, except that the fishing boats chased the fish a little too far away, and then slowly turned back.
During this period, the authorities contacted him twice, both times inquiring about the cargo ship's status and informing him that the tugboat had been arranged to depart, asking him to wait patiently and cooperate.
Finally, after waiting for what felt like forever, the professional ocean-going salvage tugboat arrived, eight days after all.
An ocean-going tugboat with an orange-red hull and a giant towing machine standing at its stern arrived at the scene.
It had established radio contact with Ye Yaodong's fishing boat a day earlier and had maintained communication with it ever since.
Before arriving, Ye Yaodong gave a prior explanation and learned about the situation they had discovered. He also made preparations in advance, including putting away the fishing nets.
As soon as they approached the cargo ship, he also moved his ship closer.
After the other party greeted him, they lowered the small boat and prepared to board the ship.
Several professional rescue crew members, dressed in full protective suits, wearing gas masks and gas detectors, boarded the ship in a work boat.
"This outfit looks very professional."
"nonsense."
"We still need professionals to do this."
They watched as the first person went straight to the bridge, shutting off any emergency power that might still be running, locking the steering wheel, and conducting a thorough check of the navigation data recorder.
They also went to the cabin and cargo hold, bringing a bunch of toolboxes, presumably to confirm immediately that there was no risk of explosion or highly toxic substances.
They gazed across the short stretch of sea at the people bustling about on the other side.
He told the other fishing boats not to move and to continue fishing, saying that his boat was enough to assist them.
There's nothing much going on right now, so they can just wait and see if they need any help. If not, they can just watch.
The biggest help you can give to these professionals is to avoid causing trouble.
"Dongzi, I don't think we need to do anything. The other side is so professional and has plenty of manpower. Do you want to set up another net?"
"No need. I said I would help. What would it mean if I just left? They won't even give me the 30. Just wait and see."
"Then ask them how long it will take for them to get everything ready to set sail. That way we can let the other fishing boats prepare in advance."
"Ok."
Ye Yaodong contacted the rescue tugboat company, who said it would take another five or six hours if things went smoothly. They needed to fully understand the condition of the cargo ship and, ideally, restore some basic lighting and navigation lights.
This way, at least safe navigation can be guaranteed when tugboats are being towed at night.
They have already agreed to use a stern-tow method, releasing the main towline from the stern of the tugboat and connecting it to the bow of the cargo ship. This method offers good course stability and is suitable for long-distance ocean towing.
Setting up a drag-and-drop is more complicated and usually takes several hours, requiring patience and skill.
After all, the cargo ship is unmanned and will sway with the wind in the waves, which is the biggest problem during the voyage.
Anyway, there's nothing he needs to do after the conversation. The crew on their ship are all professionals. He just needs to keep an eye on things. On the return trip, he can escort them back together, which will prove that he contributed.
Everyone on the ship waited until it was completely dark before they were told it was okay.
However, sailing at night was unsafe, and they were also towing a cargo ship that was over 200 meters long, so they decided to wait until early the next morning to set off.
Ye Yaodong also notified the other fishing boats to quickly haul in their nets and prepare to return.
There was a whole night, which was enough time to close the net and collect the goods.
Finally, we got back.
This was far beyond his expectations. School would start on September 1st in just two days. He could almost hear chattering voices in his ears, complaining about how late he had come back and how he hadn't gone to his hometown to pick her up.
The following morning, the ocean-going rescue tugboat contacted their fishing boat and prepared to depart.
His ship was positioned to the side and rear for easy escort and lookout, as well as to report on the cargo ship's movements and warn other vessels to give way.
His other fishing boats were also sailing around behind him.
The tugboat's initial speed was only about 1-2 knots, and all the fishing boats had to slow down and follow behind.
A cargo ship at sea is easily swayed from side to side by a tugboat, much like a pendulum.
Tugboat operators must navigate like kitesurfers, adjusting their course and speed with tow lines to keep the cargo ship's bow under control.
Looking at the fishing boat swaying back and forth, you can tell it's not that easy. This isn't just towing a small sampan; it's a cargo ship over 200 meters long, weighing 50,000 to 60,000 tons.
With this burden around, their sailing speed can't be fast either.
After only one day on the boat, Ye Yaodong instructed the other fishing boats to speed up their return journey, otherwise, what should have been a week's journey to shore would have dragged on for half a month.
Since the other ships are fine here anyway, let them go first.
Just leave him one ship to escort and protect you. He can do as much as he's paid for. The other ships just dawdle along and are useless; they'll only waste time.
These ocean-going cargo ships sail on the sea, and apart from natural disasters, nothing else really happens to them.
Now that we've been sailing for a day, there shouldn't be any major problems.
However, he made it sound very nice. When he contacted the tugboat, he only told the other ships to go back and report first. He originally only asked his ship to assist, not the other ships.
The slow voyage back took him a full half month, and the fuel cost doubled. The 30 was only enough to cover the fuel and labor costs for a few of his ships, and not even enough to cover his lost wages.
Without those few boxes of Motorolas, we would have really lost out.
The complex procedures only begin when they approach the port of destination.
The tugboat needs to gradually reduce its speed and slowly retrieve the main towing cable to reduce the distance between the two vessels to several hundred meters in order to improve control.
His boat was tasked with stabilizing the cargo ship, adjusting its bow, and then being guided into the designated berth by tugboats operating in the port.
That wasn't all; a bunch of uniformed people were already waiting at the port, and there was a lot more to do.
As soon as the cargo ship docked, investigators from the Maritime Safety Administration, Customs, Border Control, and the insurance company boarded the ship.
As the first discoverer and the one who provided the evidence, Ye Yaodong also needs to submit a detailed written report to the authorities and answer questions.
There were a lot of troubles to come, requiring his cooperation, such as his logbook, radio records, and photographs, all of which became key evidence.
Government compensation isn't easy to come by; he has to follow along, cooperate, and constantly report on the specifics.
He left the ship's affairs to the captain to arrange unloading and such, so he didn't need to worry about it. Before disembarking, he only asked Ah Zheng to help him carry a few boxes of Motorolas back to his dormitory.
He figured he wouldn't be able to get back so soon, and whether he could even get back today was a question, so he could only ask him for help.
"If my wife and kids call, please tell them what's going on, and I'll call them back when I'm done with this."
"Okay, I understand. I'll make sure these boxes are stored properly for you."
"it is good."
(End of this chapter)