Chapter 393: Don’t be half a head shorter when dealing with foreigners

Weiss took it first and read it carefully.

On May 15, 1994, the natural gas ship Venola was loaded with 147,000 cubic meters at the port of Qatar. After leaving the port, it left the Bay of Rest and first sailed to Asan...

 When he saw this, Weiss couldn't help it anymore.

“Damn it, what are you writing randomly? Our natural gas ship didn’t sail to Asan Country at all. We sailed directly to France. We didn’t go to Asan Country. Don’t you know how to read the logbook?”

"Logbook? Let's talk about the logbook. You are all veterans. You should know that if you erase the logbook without permission, you will be removed from the international shipping, right? Or do you have two logbooks?"

 When Qin Tao said these words, the expressions of the people opposite him changed drastically.

  Logbooks, generally including deck logs and engine room logs, are documents that record the main conditions of the ship during navigation and berthing. Recorded matters include navigation records, such as course, speed, position, weather, tide, sea surface and channel conditions, fuel consumption, passenger embarkation and disembarkation, cargo loading and unloading, and non-recurring and major events on board.

 This thing is the work of the captain or chief mate. It is one of the important legal documents of the ship. It is the original record of the entire process of the ship's operation. It is an important basis for analyzing and summarizing navigation experience and handling maritime affairs. If you encounter a problem and need to litigate, this logbook can be used as legal evidence.

Therefore, it is obvious how important the logbook is. The records in the merchant ship's logbook are required to be recorded in indelible blue or black ink, and cannot be deleted or erased at will. If a mistake is made or something is missed, the wrong words should be deleted with a red ink stroke. The deleted words should still be clearly visible. The corrected words should be written on top of the wrong words, and the corrector should sign in parentheses afterwards.

 The person responsible for signing is also legally responsible.

However, there is no one to supervise this thing, so there is still a possibility of fraud. Just like the large truck drivers in the United States, they have to fill in an operation log as a sign of whether the police inspection has exceeded the time limit. However, if no one takes it seriously, they will rewrite it. , as long as the level is high, the police will not find out.

 Of course, if it is discovered, the consequences will be serious.

The logbook in front of him did not have any traces of smearing, but there was clearly something wrong with the content written in it. Therefore, Qin Tao speculated that it was probably the shipowner who directly wrote a new logbook. It was only the second time the ship was shipped. Good, the log is not too thick.

How could these people not be surprised when Qin Tao revealed the truth at this time?

"Mr. Qin, you can't talk nonsense, you will be legally responsible." Weiss reacted and said.

"Yes, you can't speak nonsense or write in disorder." Qin Tao said: "If you falsify the logbook, your company will be expelled from the World Maritime Organization. No one will rent your ship in the future. vessel."

 Fake logbooks are a serious crisis of trust. No cargo owner is willing to hand over his cargo to such an unreliable shipowner.

 Threat, compete to see who can threaten the other party more!

 “How do you know our logbook entries are incorrect?” Kendall asked.

"You cannot rewrite the date of departure because it is recorded at the port. Therefore, this has caused you to lengthen the shipping time. It originally took up to one month, but you recorded two months here! Even if we use an economical speed of five knots, it won't take that long. Do you only run two or three knots?" Qin Tao asked the other party.

(Someone scolded the Hero of East China for the wrong timing. This time I checked it out and found that it was actually not that long. The fastest container ship from Huating to Europe takes only one month. , even if the speed is twice as slow, it only takes two months. As for the journey from Anxi Bay to Europe, the time is even shorter. A fast ship can pass by in more than ten days, and a slow ship can only take a month. But in the Hero of East China In my impression, many seafarers go to sea for half a year, and then go home and stay for half a year before going to sea. I don’t know if it is because of the long time at the dock.)

Any ship has an economic speed. The slower it is, the more fuel-efficient it is. It also has to pay attention to economic efficiency. The cost saved by making one trip slowly is definitely not as much as making two trips quickly!

 Now, in terms of speed, it is a problem.

"While eating just now, I heard that your crew mentioned a big storm and they stayed on the ship for three days. So, we compared it with the climate in the past two months. Only a month ago, the weather in the Indian Ocean There is such a big storm, so it is obvious that you first went to a certain port in India and then returned to Europe. If you still want to quibble, we can check the records of various ports in India to see if there is any such port like yours. The ship’s entry and exit records?”

Weiss and Kends stopped talking.

They were originally full of confidence. Mingzhou Group must pay compensation, otherwise it will be publicized around the world that Mingzhou Group’s natural gas ships are unsafe, and they will have no orders in the future!

 But now, a crisis of trust has quietly befallen them. If they are found to have falsified the logbook, how will they continue to do shipping in the future?

They can only tamper with the logbook, but they cannot improve the records at the export port. Even if they bribe the staff at Asan Port to modify the records now, it is already too late!

With one sentence, Qin Tao successfully convinced the other party.

“Go on and read, our accident analysis is absolutely correct. If you agree with it, just sign it. In this case, we will not publish the forged logbook or the like.”

As long as the other party signs on it and agrees with the accident analysis and has nothing to do with Mingzhou Group, Qin Tao is willing to let them live. After all, he might still be a customer in the future.

Weiss continued to read.

 After unloading at the Asan Terminal, it is estimated that about half of the natural gas stored in the natural gas ship will remain. This seriously violates the operating regulations of liquid cargo ships: sailing with half a load is strictly prohibited.

While passing through the Indian Ocean, it was attacked by the sea storm Oma. During the three-day voyage, the ship was violently bumpy. In this case, the hull, power, communications, and MOSS tanks were all tested, and it was enough. It shows that the quality of natural gas ships built by Mingzhou Group is reliable.

However, due to violation of transportation regulations, only half of the liquefied natural gas was repeatedly shaken and impacted in the MOSS tank. Some of the liquefied natural gas flowed into the pipeline. During the strong impact, the pipeline bracket cracked, but the pipeline was still intact. Once again, the reliability of our build quality is demonstrated.

The entire accident was caused by the sailor's incorrect operation and had nothing to do with the Mingzhou Group. In this accident, all parts of the hull were intact and there were no leaks. This once again demonstrated the first-class quality of the natural gas ships manufactured by the Mingzhou Group. !

 The responsibility for the entire accident belongs entirely to the user!

"Needless to say, LNG ships, even oil transport ships, are not allowed to carry half a load. You are really bold. That is to say, our shipbuilding technology in Mingzhou is superb. If you had changed to other ships, you might have returned to the sea. Yes." Qin Tao looked at Weiss and Kends: "Now, if you have no objection to this report, just sign it. If you don't agree with our report, then we will go to the International Court of Justice to file a lawsuit."

 When the bracket was designed, it was only designed to bear longitudinal pressure. Therefore, if it withstands the test of lateral impact force, if problems occur, the designer cannot be blamed, because this has exceeded its usage limit.

The evidence is conclusive and the analysis system is there, but the other party still wants to mess around?

Weiss and Kendes had dark faces and said nothing.

How is it possible to get them to sign this report? They are arrogant Europeans, how can they bow to the Chinese? Moreover, once they sign, who can they ask for compensation? Their company suffered heavy losses this time!

However, if they don’t sign and the quarrel continues, it may be even worse for them. How can this Oriental be so confident? Didn’t the Orientals I met before always kneel and lick them carefully?

Seeing that the other party did not answer, Qin Tao added more chips: "As long as you sign, then we can discuss how to solve the problem. After all, it is not a problem for this natural gas ship to stay here forever. If we strengthen the bracket , which may be able to meet the unloading requirements.”

 Reinforce the bracket to meet the unloading requirements?

 Hearing Qin Tao's words, Weiss swallowed and finally nodded.

“Yes, we are willing to sign and please help us come up with a plan as soon as possible.”

Weiss had to agree. After all, it would not be good for their company to continue the stalemate. Now that the other party is willing to help solve the problem, what else can be said?

 Shuashuashua!

 Weiss and Kends both signed their names on the three reports, and the agreement was considered complete.

"Welding tools cannot be used on natural gas ships, otherwise there is a risk of fire and explosion. We can only weld additional fixed equipment on land in advance and then install it in the corresponding position." Qin Tao said: "This design requires a lot of engineering work. , must be precise, which places high demands on our designers, so..."

Qin Tao looked at Weiss and Kends: "Although this is our first contact, we have not known each other before, and we are now good friends. We only need 1 million to design these brackets for you. For the fee and specific processing, you can contact nearby manufacturers, and we will be responsible for the technical guidance of the installation. Moreover, after the installation is completed, we will also provide a qualified report from the shipyard."

 One million design fees!

Weiss regretted a little, why did he sign just now? After signing, the other party started to speak loudly!

"By the way, you said in that fax that for every day of delay, you need to pay about US$50,000 in compensation, right? If we don't solve it quickly and the delay continues, your company may face sky-high compensation. .”

Anyway, the cause of the accident has nothing to do with us, so if the other party doesn't agree, then Qin Tao doesn't mind leaving with a few people around him and going back with the signed report. This matter is in the past. Now, they are willing to stay. Helping solve problems is already great, but what’s up with a million dollars? Can it be compared to his wife who is in confinement and the child who is waiting to be fed?

"If we start now, it is estimated that we can complete the task of strengthening the bracket in three days." Qin Tao said: "In this way, you will save a lot of money. Tonight, you can think about it first and wait until tomorrow." Give us the answer in the morning, and if you don’t want to, we’ll take the flight back tomorrow.”

“No need to think about it, please do it now!”

“Now? That won’t work here. We need to go ashore and use computers to draw pictures.”

 “Okay, we’ll go back right away.”

 In the darkness, the boat left the Venola and returned to the port.

 Staying in a comfortable hotel near the port, Qin Tao lay on the bed and soon fell asleep.

 As for the design drawings? Of course we have to wait until we wake up!

If you work overtime tonight and make the design drawings, what will the other party think? I must feel that this million dollars is not worth it!

 After waking up, it was already noon the next day. After lunch, a few people got to work.

In this way, the drawing lasted until noon the next day. The impatient Weiss finally got the design drawing and immediately asked a nearby factory to process it. This batch of reinforcement kits was processed before getting off work that afternoon.

 Then, it is transported to the natural gas ship and installed overnight.

 At noon on the third day, after repeated inspections, Mingzhou Group issued a report, believing that the unloading requirements could now be met. The port staff boarded the ship and conducted a careful inspection, which was finally confirmed.

Weiss took a long breath. Anyway, the problem was finally solved.

However, thinking about the huge loss this time, he felt extremely depressed.

"This accident was entirely caused by the Belgian company SCL. We want to seek compensation from them!" When Weiss said this, Qin Tao felt a chill.

What's going on? Why does this sound like a Belgian?

“Because when they sold the boat, they didn’t give us the safe operating instructions with the boat!”

Facing this kind of blame-shifting behavior, Qin Tao was speechless.

 Safe operating instructions, do they need to be included with the ship? This kind of thing should be something that a qualified natural gas ship captain or even a sailor should master. Didn't they get the corresponding certificate before boarding the ship?

It was obvious that they themselves ignored safe operations and suffered a big loss in the end, but this debt must be placed on others!

However, this matter has nothing to do with our own side. How they want to argue is their business. Poor old friend François is going to be in trouble.

Qin Tao embarked on the return journey with the mood of watching a good show.

What Qin Tao didn't expect was that he would be suddenly attacked by a group of reporters right after he got off the plane.

 Their handling of accidents in Europe was very ordinary, but this incident has caused an uproar in China.

“Mr. Qin, you were calm and composed when faced with a claim from an international customer this time and did not suffer any loss in the end. What do you think of this matter?” A reporter who squeezed to the front asked Qin Tao loudly.

“Our Mingzhou Group has been dealing with foreigners since its establishment, and we have also faced difficulties from some foreigners. However, we rarely suffer losses because we are tough enough!”

"For example, we strictly follow the provisions of the contract to ensure time and quality, and we will not violate the provisions of the contract, so that we can stand up and speak. At the same time, we have our own opinions, and foreigners will not affect our judgment! No matter what, we have our own opinions. In any case, we will fight for the cause.”

Qin Tao looked at the reporters present: "Among us, some of us become a few inches shorter when we interact with foreigners, as if foreigners are much smarter. This state is actually sad. We should believe in ourselves." Ability, believe in your own level, we Chinese are no worse than foreigners!"

These powerful words immediately won warm applause from the audience. Qin Tao's words also became the front page headline of the next day's newspaper.

 When faced with rude claims from foreigners, look at what our Mingzhou Group did. We calmly analyzed the reasons and maintained our dignity. Moreover, we were enthusiastic and actively helped customers solve the problems!

This round trip, although Qin Tao and the others came and went in a hurry, still took five or six days. By the time he came back, Zhao Ling had already gone home from the hospital.

"Son, do you miss your dad?" Qin Tao went straight to the bedroom after returning home, his voice a little loud.

Hearing his voice, the other people quickly stopped. What's the fuss about? Didn't you see your grandson/grandson sleeping? I woke up the child and I’m not done with you!

Qin Tao could only shut up and tiptoe in. The child was still sleeping peacefully in his swaddling clothes.

 Zhao Ling looked at Qin Tao with a smile on her face.

"Mr. Qin, are you back? This time you have brought glory to the country again."

“Well, I encountered an unreasonable person who wanted to bite us a few times, but we were bitten back. One million, drizzle, I can’t even see it.” Qin Tao said.

Before leaving, the other party was aggressive and demanded compensation. What was the result? The other party paid a million US dollars in design fees and asked Mingzhou Group to help solve the problem. This story will make those who hear it extremely emotional.

 Mr. Qin is really awesome!

Qin Tao didn't take this seriously. The business he did could easily cost tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. This million was really not worth his trip.

However, reputation is more important than money. After the handling of this accident spreads, the reputation of Mingzhou Group's natural gas ships will be raised to a higher level. The ships we built have experienced the test of semi-cargo transportation and sea storms, and are only The bracket is broken, but the main structure is intact and there is no air leakage. We are the only one in the world who can do this!

This crisis was eliminated in an instant.

 “You can speak like a dog.”

 After saying that, Zhao Ling showed a smile on her face.

“By the way, did our dad tell you about the name?” Qin Tao was most concerned about this.

 “Well, the word in the middle is...”

 Zhao Ling looked at Qin Tao: "What do you think?"

“It’s definitely not Shou, otherwise you wouldn’t have this attitude, and you’re not Sheng. It’s too ostentatious. I can only guess that it’s not these two.” Qin Tao couldn’t guess anything else.

“The word in the middle is sea, so the whole family unanimously agreed to call it Qin Haiyang.” Zhao Ling said, “Of course, if you have other ideas, you can put them forward. Anyway, you are Haiyang’s father.”

how to say?

The name Qin Haiyang is really too vulgar, because many people call it Haiyang, but the meaning of this name is still good. Our motherland is a traditional land power, but in the future, it will definitely move towards the ocean, and , my family is a shipbuilder, and my father-in-law comes from a naval family, and is also related to the ocean.

 “Well, let’s call it this.”

“There are a few alternatives, you can think about them, why don’t you have an idea?”

"What else can there be? Qin Haijun? Qin Haidong? Qin Haibin? It's not as nice as Qin Haiyang." Qin Tao named a few in a row. If he had to choose, the name Haiyang sounded better.

　　So, the son's name was given in this way. If the son feels dissatisfied, he can choose a new name himself in the future.

Qin Tao doesn’t need to worry about this matter.

 Will my son also have to deal with the ocean for the rest of his life? Qin Tao was also a little curious at this time.

At this moment, Qin Haiyang opened his eyes, looked around with his big eyes, and saw a strange face.

So, with a curl of her mouth, she started to cry again.

At this moment, the warm white rabbit came to his mouth, so he hugged the white rabbit and started eating.

  Qin Haiyang's face was very ugly.

Little bastard, is your dad so scary?

 Dinner, another big table.

 The family was lively and lively. Qin Tao had never seen this kind of scene before.

"Taozi, you have turned things around again when you went abroad this time." Wu Shengli said: "As long as you take action, there is no task that you can't do badly."

“Dad, please stop praising me. I don’t want to go out at all this time. When I come back, my son won’t recognize me.”

 “He who is capable works hard, Tao Zi, you are destined to do great things.”

Qin Tao felt his eyelids twitching.

Isn't there something that will happen to me again?

"The two modern-class destroyers and two Kilo-class submarines ordered by our navy are almost ready. Therefore, we plan to send people to receive them in the near future." Wu Shengli said to Qin Tao: "If you are interested, you can Come along."

 In terms of time, Lao Maozi has delayed the construction period. However, for Lao Maozi, it is already very good to be able to complete the construction. Even if there is compensation or the like in the contract, it is impossible to fulfill it.

So, instead of worrying about the compensation that is impossible to get, it is better to happily pick up the ship.

"There is nothing interesting about the Modern-class class." Qin Tao said: "The two Kilo-class ships are more useful to us. We need to use the floating dock to bring those two submarines back. By the way, if possible, we We just take advantage of the opportunity to get their equipment for manufacturing submarines, especially the plate bending machine, so that our Mingzhou Shipyard can start manufacturing submarines!"

Mingzhou Group is involved in all kinds of military ships, including aircraft carriers, but submarines are still a difficulty. There is no way. To make the submarine into a cylindrical shape, it must be made of high-strength steel, so a special plate bending machine is necessary. Just fine.

 “Well, I’ll have to leave in the next few days.”

 (End of this chapter)