sbdcsierra Chapter 1856 Boarding the Ship
Chapter 1856 Boarding the Ship
Chapter 1856 Boarding the Ship
Ye Yaodong first shouted through the loudspeaker on his own boat to see if he could gather 10 people. If not, he would shout on other boats. It was all voluntary, and no one would be forced to participate. Those who went would receive double the subsidy.
Ten people is enough; they can look out for each other, and their boats will be close together anyway.
There wasn't just one boat; several boats were nearby, with four or five hundred people. There wasn't much to worry about; everyone was looking out for each other.
He casually shouted, and almost everyone on the ship rushed to go. After all, they were all from the navy, and there were so many fishing boats around, what was there to be afraid of?
He had the boatswain select ten men, including the boatswain himself.
Meanwhile, other ships also gathered around, maintaining a safe distance.
Ye Yaodong stood on the deck and addressed the crew, also speaking into his walkie-talkie to ensure everyone could hear him.
"We need to board the ship now to check its condition before we can report back."
"We've already selected ten people from the ship to go and check out the situation first. It's not good to send too many people at once. After they've finished their investigation, I'll send someone to conduct a second confirmation."
"Now let's all sail over together and form an encirclement. I'll board from the left side of the ship, and you can take your places in turn, keeping a safe distance."
The waves are so strong that fishing boats will keep bumping into each other if they get too close. Except for this boat, which needs to move closer and join the others, other boats should not get too close.
"receive."
The walkie-talkies kept picking up responses from the various ships.
Ah Zheng, who was on the wheelhouse, saw the hand gesture he made and immediately went to notify the captain to bring the ship closer.
The 10 crew members were already wearing life jackets, holding guns, sticks, anchors, ropes, and other equipment, and were ready.
Ye Yaodong, also holding a gun, stood warily to the side.
The remaining crew members also held hooks and ropes, waiting for the two boats to come together so they could hook onto the opposite fishing boat and prevent it from drifting and swaying.
These crew members were all from the navy and knew what to do. Ye Yaodong didn't need to give any instructions. As soon as the ship approached, everyone nimbly climbed over.
Only when you get close to the ship can you truly feel its size. This cargo ship is about 50,000 tons, more than 200 meters long, and about 30 meters wide.
As soon as his ship got close, it became insignificant compared to the larger one.
Ye Yaodong stood on the deck of his own fishing boat, watching the people on the opposite boat split up and look around.
Ah Zheng had already run up from the ship's tower to his side, exclaiming in amazement.
"Dongzi, this ship is huge, this ship is awesome."
He nodded, "Indeed."
"This must be over 200 meters long and weigh tens of thousands of tons, right? This ship must have cost tens of millions to build!"
"do not know."
“If we drag this back, wouldn’t the government make a fortune? You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t earn a few million.”
Ye Yaodong wasn't so optimistic. He felt he couldn't tow it. The ship was too big. It didn't seem so big from a distance, but up close it looked like a behemoth.
"Damn, if it weren't obviously not a ship from our country and couldn't withstand inspection, you should have just towed it back yourself. That would have been a huge profit."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford something this big in my lifetime, but you probably can! Bro, I'll be counting on you to brag about in the future."
Ah Zheng stood on tiptoe and awkwardly hooked his arm around Dongzi's shoulder, feeling instantly superior. He was proud to have grown up with Dongzi since they were little, and if Dongzi could afford this boat in the future, he could brag about it to the heavens.
"Damn it, if you negotiate a little later, can you let the government finish its review and sell you this ship at a discount? You can remodel it then?"
"I'm thinking the same thing. I don't know if it's possible. Anyway, the research won't be of any value to the government. Could you sell it to me at a discount?"
Although he couldn't tow it himself, he could provide information so they could arrange for an ocean tugboat company to come and tow it back.
"Give it a try! After all, you were the one who towed it back, so you made the biggest contribution. The ship doesn't look old, so you can let them study it for 10 years and then sell it to you at a discount without any problem."
"I'm not sure I can hold out any longer. Let's wait until we've finished the investigation."
The boat is not old; it's more like it's neither new nor old. There are no obvious signs of collision, only some rust marks from seawater corrosion on the edges.
This little bit of rust is nothing; it can be fixed by cleaning it up and repainting.
The ship's hull was clearly printed with a string of English letters. They were a group of illiterate people, and no one could understand them. They probably couldn't even pronounce the English letters; they only knew "Apotz."
"This ship has a deep draft, which means the cargo hold is fully loaded. You need to have a good talk with them. They'll give you a percentage of the cargo as a bonus when it's transported back. You'll make a fortune."
A deep draft indicates a full load, making the chances of towing it back even slimmer.
He hasn't said anything definitively yet; he'll wait until he gets on board and checks before making a decision.
Ye Yaodong nudged him with his elbow, "Aren't you tired from standing on tiptoe? Aren't your arms sore?"
"It's so annoying. I was just saying something cheerful, and you're already complaining about how short I am."
"I see you're going through all this trouble, so I'll just say a few words."
"I just wanted to get some money out of you so you could give me a big red envelope, and then I wouldn't have to go through all that trouble."
"These are minor matters; let's wait for the results of the investigation."
They can't do anything now, they can only wait on the ship until the crew on the cargo ship opposite finishes their investigation.
The other ships were also just waiting, and since they weren't as close, they could only wait for his instructions. Right now, they were all chatting away on their walkie-talkies, discussing how to tow the ship back and what benefits it would bring.
His walkie-talkie was making a constant, loud noise, and the workers around him were also talking about it.
About an hour later, the crew members from the cargo ship opposite gradually gathered on the deck, and everyone's spirits instantly lifted.
They're here, they're coming back, there's a result.
After discussing it for a while, I don't know what they were talking about, another person went off to look around at some places they had missed.
We waited for more than ten minutes before returning to the deck, and then came back together as a group.
Everyone took turns reporting on the areas they had explored.
"Boss, I've checked the living quarters and deck. There are some personal belongings in the crew's living quarters, but it's quite messy. There's even a half-eaten, moldy bowl of rice on the table. The mold is all over the table. I don't know how long it's been there."
"There were no signs of fighting or violence, and the most crucial point is that none of the crew members' life jackets were inside the cabin."
Ye Yaodong was surprised. "So that means they left voluntarily?"
"Yes, that's what we think too. The lifeboats on the ship are all gone, so it's very likely that they left in a planned manner."
"Another discovery was that the ship's food and fresh water supplies were almost gone, not because they were spoiled, but because there was absolutely nothing left."
Ah Zheng interjected, "So, after running out of ammunition and food, they had no choice but to leave in a lifeboat?"
"It's also possible that they took all the food and fresh water with them when they left."
"I discovered in the engine room that the main engine was in a safe shutdown state, but the auxiliary generator was broken, which was probably the direct cause of the ship's power outage and loss of power."
“I found traces of an explosion in the cargo hold, but the explosion was not powerful enough to penetrate the hull. However, I estimate that it may have caused a violent tremor and a loud bang, and the alarm must have sounded.”
"The explosion may have caused the lines to break, which triggered a series of problems. The generator was also damaged, and I checked the ship's communication system, which was also broken. So it's probably this series of reasons that led to the ship losing contact and the risk of another explosion. All the people on board were safely evacuated."
After listening to their report, Ye Yaodong felt that this summary must be the truth.
Unless it's a ghost ship that's been around for decades or even centuries, a ship that becomes unmanned due to an accident and evacuation is nothing to be afraid of.
"So, can we find out why the explosion occurred inside the cargo hold?"
"I think it's most likely due to the cargo. This batch of goods should be timber from Southeast Asia. When I opened the cargo hold, I found a large number of uniformly sized wooden boards and bundles of cables inside, and the smell was very strong."
"Yes, the timber in the cargo hold may release flammable volatile gases, such as methane, under high temperature and humidity conditions."
"We discussed it earlier, and the cause of the explosion in the warehouse was probably the flammable volatile gases emitted by the wood. Otherwise, the explosion wouldn't have occurred inside the warehouse."
“They’re filled with miscellaneous goods, with timber making up a large part of it.”
"It is very likely that when the crew was checking the ventilation system for malfunctions, some metal tools accidentally produced sparks, or there was a cigarette butt, which caused an explosion in the cargo hold, thus causing panic."
"We've investigated, and this is roughly the source of the problem. Otherwise, other reasons wouldn't explain the communication failure, line failure, or generator failure. They might also be afraid that if they stayed on the ship any longer, it would cause more explosions."
As Ye Yaodong listened to everyone's reports and analyses, he nodded repeatedly, finding them all reasonable and logical. He felt that even if he were asked to look at them, he probably couldn't explain them in such detail.
"What other cargo was on that ship besides timber?"
"Raw timber accounts for more than 70% of the total cargo, so I judge that this should be a cargo ship from Southeast Asia. These are all piled up at the bottom, and the middle cargo hold contains industrial cable rolls, as well as bundles of steel bars and structural steel wrapped in straw mats and burlap, but not in large quantities."
"Do you think there are any potential hazards on the ship right now? If the ship is towed back, it would be too dangerous for us if it exploded on the way."
"It's possible, so we need to open all the hatches to keep the cargo hold ventilated. The cargo hold's ventilation system is broken and can't circulate air, so we have to open all the hatches. If it rains and water gets in, there's nothing we can do."
There's nothing we can do about that.
If there's a risk of explosion, who would move the ship?
"Thank you for your hard work. You should rest for a bit. I'll take some people over to take a look."
Ye Yaodong wouldn't let A-Zheng come along, only telling him to stay on the boat first. With him on the boat, he felt most at ease.
He then led another 10 people up to check the results of their earlier exploration.
He went straight to the cockpit. The door was already open, and there was a nautical chart on the table. It was for Southeast Asia, with the Philippines and Taiwan circled in red. There were a dozen small crosses and correction marks on the route, and the rest were just normal signs of daily life.
He then went to the cargo hold, the entrance of which was in the middle of the deck. The heavy steel hatch had been pried open by the crew, and someone inside was shining a flashlight inside.
The strong smell of wood mingled with other pungent odors, creating an indescribable aroma.
Ye Yaodong shone his flashlight down and saw, just as everyone had reported, neatly stacked timber, all of it high-quality tropical hardwood, cut to standard length and secured with steel cables.
Between the timber piles, one can see huge cable rolls and bundles of steel bars wrapped in waterproof tarpaulins; everything is in perfect order.
He investigated every place and found that it basically matched what everyone had said, with every detail matching up perfectly.
The reason this ship became unmanned is probably just as they predicted.
However, during his investigation, he discovered that several boxes were somewhat different, with unusual weight and sound. He opened them and found that they were filled with tightly wrapped cubes wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin.
Peeling back the tarpaulin revealed a Motorola mobile phone wrapped in a large amount of shockproof foam, along with some unopened electronic components.
There were several such boxes, and he suspected they were smuggled goods by the ship.
After he had looked around and found nothing else, he had the crew carry the boxes up.
The second trip was not only to check if everyone's detection results were wrong, but also to see if we could tow the fishing boat.
However, after Ye Yaodong looked at it, he shook his head and then told everyone to go back to their own boats.
"How's it going, Dongzi? What are those boxes you're carrying?"
"Don't worry about it, I just grabbed it. The situation on the ship over there is the same as what everyone just said, and it's pretty much what we found."
Ye Yaodong took the walkie-talkie from his hand and briefly explained the general situation on the ship to the other captains.
"That's the situation, but we can't tow this ship."
"Huh, why? Can't we even go on with six or seven ships together?"
"No way, have you ever seen five or six dogs drag a whale?"
Everyone was speechless for a moment; such an analogy...
"We may be able to tow it, but that doesn't mean we can tow it safely. We're not a big ship towing a small ship; we're a small ship towing a big ship."
“When there are waves at sea, cargo ships will sway and “bow” in the waves, and our small boats may be pulled and lose control.”
“This ship is too big, carrying tens of thousands of tons. It drifts with the waves and has great inertia. Once it starts to move or turn, it would take a huge lateral force to stop it or change its direction. Where would our fishing boats get that lateral force?”
"The most critical issue is the consequences of a broken cable. While we are towing the fishing boat, we are also enduring the wind and waves at sea. The cables of our fishing boats are designed for fishing boats of several thousand tons, not for fishing boats of ten thousand tons."
“Once our cable breaks, the rebounding steel cable can sweep everything away. Several of our fishing boats will be entangled and dragged around. At that time, the risk of collision due to the broken cable will be very high.”
"If the wind is strong at sea, or if it rains or encounters cross currents, it might shake its head or drift, and then it's all over."
They might be able to pull it, but they can't control the direction of the fishing boat. They often sail against the wind or against the tide.
"If the cable breaks, will the swerving damage the hull?" Ah Zheng frowned, worried, feeling like his cooked duck had flown away.
"of course."
"What should I do?"
"Let the authorities contact a professional ocean tugboat company to tow the ship back; we can't manage such a small task."
"Is the easy money about to slip away?"
"Not necessarily. The rewards that are due will still be given, and the compensation for our lost work time due to the delayed fishing will also be given. It's just that it's impossible for us to get a percentage of the cargo on the ship."
They can assist in the rescue and deserve credit, but if they want a larger share of the cargo, that's not possible.
However, we just found a few boxes containing valuable items, probably dozens of Motorola phones, which is worth a lot.
After saying this, Ye Yaodong looked at the crew members and said, "I will try to ask the authorities for more rewards and compensation, but it may not be much. However, I will give everyone a copy."
"We'll talk about that later, boss. You decide. But what do we do now? We can't tow this ship."
"Let's continue fishing around here as usual and wait for the authorities to contact us. It will probably be many days before they send an ocean-going tugboat over."
They could only fish and wait.
Once the tugboat arrives, they will naturally return together, since they also need to wait for the fresh produce collection boat.
There shouldn't be a major conflict in terms of timing. At most, they might stay a few more days, but that won't be a problem as long as there's good weather and no typhoon.
"Shall we call it a day?"
"You can go do whatever you need to do and prepare for the next fishing trip."
"alright, got it."
It's a bit of a disappointment that everyone went through all that trouble only to get this result.
But considering that they were the ones who discovered the ship, it would be good to follow them back along the way and see how the tugboats transported the ship back. It would broaden our horizons.
Moreover, there will be a subsidy or reward, and the fishing will not be delayed, so there will be no loss.
"What about these boxes..."
"Help me carry it to my rest cabin."
"Ok."
There were five boxes in total, and they weren't heavy. The two of them carried them back to the cockpit.
"What's inside? It's swaying around and feels light and not heavy."
"I'll tell you when we get back to the rest cabin."
"Understood, don't flaunt your wealth."
As Ah Zheng walked, he said regretfully, "It's such a pity. This boat can't be towed back. If it were a smaller one, like a regular fishing boat that's 10,000 tons, that would be so much better. It's not like this kind of boat that's tens of thousands of tons. If we could tow it back and get even 10% of the profits, that would be incredible."
"There's no way we can lose our own boat. I thought it was just an ordinary 10,000-ton fishing boat, but when I went up there, the hold was completely full, the waterline was so deep, and it was all wood and some steel. I could try it if it was empty or an ordinary 10,000-ton boat, but this one was fully loaded."
"That would all benefit the government."
There's nothing we can do about that.
After Ye Yaodong entered his small rest cabin, he threw several boxes on the ground and locked the cabin door.
Ah Zheng lowered his voice and asked softly, "What's in here?"
"you guess?"
"flour?"
"Are you looking to die?"
"Didn't you say it was a ship from Southeast Asia? Then I think the most likely smuggled goods are probably from there, right?"
"You're overthinking it. How could I possibly take that thing? Besides, I didn't even notice it."
He opened the box he had just unpacked, then removed the tarpaulin and the shock-absorbing foam, handing the dark "brick" directly to A-Zheng.
Ah Zheng's eyes widened. "Big... Brother." He lowered his voice and covered his mouth.
"Hmm, I just happened to find these boxes of oddly shaped groceries. Here, take this. Are you satisfied with this red envelope?"
"Satisfied, satisfied, damn it, so satisfied! You've got such good luck. You can't tow the boat back, but you've found something even better. This one's worth twenty or thirty thousand."
"Go and register for the network yourself; I won't pay for it."
He grinned from ear to ear, "No need, how could I let Brother Dong pay? You've already been very generous. I'll handle the registration myself."
"I checked, this box has 10, and 5 boxes have 50..."
"Damn! We're rich! This is much faster than asking the government for money directly."
"Of course, there's no quicker way to get money than to pick it up on the street, and government money is the hardest to get."
Ye Yaodong was quite satisfied. Now he didn't have to spend time and effort risking his life to tow the ship back. Although he couldn't get a certain percentage of the cargo, he could take the goods directly.
The box had no English markings at all, which is why he noticed it. Usually, goods are marked so that the buyer can be found when unloading.
These unmarked items are not goods that are being transported normally; he took them anyway.
The other cargo list is definitely on board, so let's leave it there and let the government tow it back and deal with it themselves.
It was already worth it for him to find those boxes.
Ah Zheng was so happy that he kept fiddling with the antenna on his mobile phone, turning it over and over to look at it, his mouth never closing in a smile.
"Dongzi, you not only have a lot of regular income, but you also have a lot of windfall income."
"If you get a good deal, keep it safe and don't let anyone see it."
"Did you search carefully? Are these the only boxes? Are there any others? Don't miss anything, or someone else will get them."
"I looked around carefully. The ship was full of large items, about 70 or 80 pieces of wood, and the rest were steel and auxiliary materials. The other boxes were all marked, but these few boxes were hidden in a corner."
"Then let's hurry up and get out of here, don't stay too long."
"Put the box under the bed first, and lock the hatch whenever you go in or out."
Ah Zheng reluctantly packed up his mobile phone and put it back in the suitcase, saying, "I'll put it back first and take it back after I get off the ship."
"Ah."
The two went out and then returned to the top of the ship's wheelhouse.
The captain was already searching for fish in the bridge, while the workers on deck were setting up fishing nets, preparing to begin normal fishing operations.
Meanwhile, the other fishing boats had already scattered across the sea, doing what they were supposed to do.
The cargo ship continued to sway and drift on the sea, tossed about by the wind and waves.
"Boss, we'll be starting our normal trawling operation soon."
"Well, we'll do what needs to be done. We'll wait for the government to contact us about the rest. Just keep an eye on this ship and make sure it doesn't drift away."
"Okay, I understand. It's such a pity."
"No need to regret it. At least we've found out the situation of this ship. We'll still get a reward for reporting the truth, and we won't have to take too much risk."
"Hey."
Ye Yaodong has already been bribed by 50 Motorola mobile phone dealers.
Once the money is in place, he can comfort himself.
P.S.: Updates will continue as usual tonight.
(End of this chapter)