Chapter 618: The pilot drank too much and was eaten by a polar bear

“Mr. Qin, the fleet of Sanhang Heavy Industry has entered the Arctic.” In the headquarters of Mingzhou Group, Qin Tao received the news from Xu Zhengyang. He nodded and then looked at the busy shipyard.

“They are great pioneers, let them go to the Arctic route to experience it. In the future, we will also build a powerful icebreaker fleet.”

"Great pioneer? Did Lao Maozi open up the Arctic shipping route decades ago?" Xu Zhengyang asked with some confusion.

Lao Maozi, who is located in a severely cold area, has always suffered from inconvenient connections between the East and the West. In the early Tsarist Russia era, they were already exploring the possibility of sailing in the Arctic. They first opened up some relatively short routes, and by the 1930s , they finally opened up a route between Northern Europe and the Far East.

In 1932, Schmidt led an Arctic Science Research Institute expedition team aboard the icebreaker "Siberian" and embarked on a voyage from the Port of Arkhangelsk to the Bering Strait under single navigation conditions. It took them 2 months and 3 days to complete the entire Northern Sea Route voyage from the mouth of the North Dvina River to the Bering Strait. By 1939, the icebreaker "Stalin" realized two-way navigation on the Northern Sea Route, sailing from Murmansk to Anadyr Bay in the Bering Sea and then back.

After this route was opened, it immediately played an important role in the subsequent World War II. The Far East fleet entered the Barents Sea through the Northern Sea Route to support the European battlefield. At the same time, some materials in the aid bill were also transported through the Arctic Route. Came here.

"It was indeed opened up before, but it was all done by Lao Maozi's own people, mostly for military purposes. But this time, it is for civilian use. Can this be the same? This is the first time that a foreign merchant fleet has entered the Arctic on a large scale."

"Mr. Qin, if this is the case, then Da Mao should attach great importance to this Arctic route and will not create obstacles to the Arctic route. How could he agree to our plan?" Xu Zhengyang was still a little confused.

Qin Tao smiled: "Yes, Damao is definitely looking forward to opening up the Arctic route, but they are definitely not trying to save money for shipowners from all over the world, they are doing it to make money for themselves. This time, Sanhang Heavy Industry's ship The team entered the North Pole and only paid for a satellite navigation system. How can this be done? Da Mao has not made enough money yet, so next, Da Mao will definitely continue to blackmail them in order to make money."

“Wouldn’t that have bad consequences?”

"Then it depends on how to conduct the accident investigation. What if the final result of the investigation is that the natural gas carrier built by Sanhang Heavy Industry is of substandard quality?" Qin Tao said with a calm look: "Think about it, what's inside the natural gas carrier?" What is put is liquid. During the ice-breaking process, the liquid keeps sloshing back and forth inside, and the impact brings huge impact to the side wall. It is normal for the side wall to break. Therefore, in the future, natural gas ships want to sail in the Arctic region. , it’s best to hire an old Maozi icebreaker.”

Damao has built a large number of professional icebreakers for the Arctic route. There are dozens of them. Now those icebreakers have no business. After opening up the route this time, they will continue to guide the fleet in the future. This way you can make a lot of money!

 So, Da Mao had no reason to refuse.

It’s not that the Arctic route is not possible, it’s that your way of sailing is wrong. Come and rent our Damao icebreaker to ensure that you have no problem sailing all the way!

As long as such deception is carried out, not only will it not have a bad impact on the route, but it will also convince the shipowner that renting a professional icebreaker is the best way!

Xu Zhengyang nodded. He had not thought about this yet, but now Mr. Qin understood it all at once.

“Mr. Qin, will we also invest in the Arctic route in the future?” Xu Zhengyang became curious about this again.

"Although our navy continues to grow stronger, in the future we are destined to be unable to become a global navy and unable to protect our maritime trade. Therefore, taking the Arctic route and avoiding the dangerous Malacca Strait is the most important .”

Qin Tao has been planning these things: assisting in the construction of Gwadar Port, building railways and oil pipelines, so that various resources from the Middle East will be transported directly to the country by land. The new One Belt and One Road plan has not yet been proposed, but it will be followed in the future. Developing in this direction, as for trade with Europe, it is obviously better to go through the Arctic route than to go around the Suez Canal and the Strait of Malacca.

“But the Arctic route may not be sailable in winter, right?” Xu Zhengyang asked.

“We are looking forward to climate change. The Arctic ice caps are constantly melting. Even in winter, there will be no particularly thick ice layer, which will not pose a threat to our navigation.” Qin Tao said.

Xu Zhengyang nodded, since Mr. Qin said so, it will definitely be realized. He has unconditional trust in Mr. Qin. I admire Mr. Qin’s vision even more.

 As for now, just wait and see the good show of Sanhang Heavy Industry!

 The formation of eight natural gas ships is also very large, and sailing in the harsh Arctic weather is even more spectacular.

At the same time, this fleet has also attracted the attention of the world, and many media have begun to report on it.

 Zhang Zhongshuo program also specially made such a special program.

"Hello everyone, the name of our program today is Zhang Zhong Talking about the Arctic Route." On the TV screen, Zhang Zhong maintained his usual seriousness: "Although it is said that natural gas ships are sailing on the Arctic Route now, but , we also know that this route was originally opened for military purposes, so our program is not considered out of bounds. This time, we invited Professor Wang, an expert from the Ship Design Institute, to tell us about An icebreaker story.”

“Hello everyone, I am Professor Wang. I once designed the Type 210 ocean-going icebreaker. Of course, our domestic icebreaker technology is not advanced enough and cannot be compared with the advanced icebreaker technology of Damao. However, we have also found an independent path.”

“Professor Wang, please first introduce to us some working principles of icebreakers.”

"Okay, there are two ways to break an icebreaker. One is to ram, forcefully ram forward to open a way. This method can only deal with smaller ice layers. The other way is to press, to rush onto the ice. Then the weight of the hull and the structure below directly crush the ice. This method can break through the ice three to four meters thick. Currently, all the most advanced icebreakers in Damao have this method."

“So, what method does Kimchi Country’s ice-breaking natural gas ship use?”

"We have not received relevant information on this, but it can be analyzed that in order to pursue economy, civilian ships will not use powerful engines. As long as they can maintain an economic speed of more than ten knots, it is enough. These natural gas ships The power system of the car is very advanced. It should have adopted the patent of Mingzhou Group. It uses a dual-fuel engine that burns diesel when no-load and burns leaked natural gas when it is heavy-loaded. Due to insufficient power, it should not have the ability to drive The only ability I have on the ice is to use collision.”

 Driving on the ice requires not only strong power, but also ballast water tanks at the front and rear, and adjusting the weight of the hull to tilt the bow, otherwise you will definitely not be able to get on.

"This method of impact cannot break through the thick ice. Of course, there is no problem in using it in summer. After all, they will not encounter too thick ice. However, the natural gas ship is loaded with liquid natural gas. If the internal structure is not strengthened and the original liquid cargo fence system of ordinary natural gas ships is used, accidents may easily occur due to the impact of liquefied natural gas."

“Understand, once there are frequent impacts and the liquid cargo fence system cracks, it may cause a terrible natural gas leak.” Zhang Zhong said.

"Yes, we don't know how the technicians of Sanhang Heavy Industry solved these problems. When it comes to icebreaking ships, the one with the most experience in building icebreakers should be Damao. If these ships are built at Red Star Shipyard, it should be Better."

 The construction of ice-breaking natural gas ships is very complicated and not something that ordinary companies can do!

 Zhang Zhong said that the program has a great global influence, so this argument spread quickly.

However, the fleet sailing in the Arctic at this time is not yet able to receive this TV program.

Due to the limitations of the shape of the earth itself, geostationary satellites cannot cover high latitude areas, and it is impossible for the fleet to receive such messages.

 Sailing in the Arctic, you have to fight against the cold and loneliness. When sailing in other sea areas, you can still watch TV, but in the Arctic, there is no TV signal!

“Here, take a sip, this stuff can warm you up.” Krikalev took out his own vodka and handed it to Cui Wenji, who looked a little trembling.

Cui Wenji shook his head: "No, no, I can't take the lead and break the rules. Pilot, where have we sailed?"

“Wherever you go, just look at Glonas. I am a navigator, not a positioner.” Krikalev said.

This sentence is really correct.

Navigators rely on their own experience to determine where the ice is thinnest and where it is best to walk. Where they are, they can use the satellite positioning system. After the emergence of this system, it will be easy to determine their position.

"Okay." Cui Wenji looked at the first officer: "Look where we are."

"Yes, north latitude..." The satellite positioning system is only for positioning. Navigation needs to be coordinated with digital maps. The current receiver only displays the values ​​of longitude and latitude, and the values ​​need to be marked on the chart.

“In other words, we are only over a hundred nautical miles away from our destination?”

“Yes, we can arrive at the port to load natural gas tonight!” the first mate said excitedly.

“Tell the entire fleet and Manager Park the good news.”

It was impossible for Zheng Zhenze to come with him. He sent his most trusted subordinate Park Renjun to lead the entire fleet to open up a sea route.

 Park Renjun was not on the first ship, but on the MIR in the middle. In order to save money, they only hired a pilot, so they could only listen to the report of the first ship.

Anyway, with a satellite navigation system and a navigator, there should be no problem. If one or two are hired on a ship, the price is really too expensive. Their company is currently operating in debt and there is not much money at all. More money to spend.

 It’s really cold here! Pu Renjun had been stuck in the cabin almost all day, and he was very happy when he heard the news.

 “It’s here, it’s finally here, it’s so great!” He came to the porthole, looked at the beautiful ice flowers formed on it, and looked at the blurry world outside.

“Manager Park, is there nothing wrong with Da Mao?” At this moment, someone asked around him.

"Probably not. The Yamal oil and gas field is located in the Arctic Circle. Normal transportation is very inconvenient. This time our fleet comes to transport natural gas. They should welcome it. We will make more trips before winter comes. ." Pu Renjun said: "I only come to this damned place once!"

To open up a new route, Park Renjun personally led the team, but he decided to only lead it this time and never come again next time!

 At 11:30 pm local time, it finally fell into the night.

Yes, in the Arctic Circle, you will experience completely different situations than in other areas, such as the polar day phenomenon. If it is around the summer solstice, then there will be no night at all in the Arctic Circle. The sun has not risen from the horizon. The horizon sets and the day is over.

Now, the night is relatively short, only about an hour, and even at night, it is not as dark as in the middle and low latitudes. The ice is still reflecting the light, and the surroundings are a bit foggy.

“Look, what’s over there?” A crew member pointed his finger to the north. Under the night cover over there, a beautiful green background appeared, just like a scene from a movie.

Krikalev took another sip of wine and said with disdain, "It's just the aurora. What's so rare about it? We've seen a lot of it in the past."

For those who came to the Arctic Circle for the first time and saw the aurora, this scene will never be forgotten. Even Cui Wenji watched it for a long time before coming back to his thoughts: "Attention, we are about to dock! Everyone, do this Prepare!"

The Yamal Peninsula is dotted with stars, and the personnel in the oil and gas fields are also ready to welcome them. This is the first time in many years that a natural gas ship flying a foreign flag has come to them!

Although it was nighttime, the visibility was pretty good. Under the guidance of Krikalev, the huge icebreaking natural gas ship DAON finally successfully arrived at its destination!

 Official loading!

Krikalev stood on the frozen soil, watching the natural gas ship start to pre-cool, and said to the people around him: "I'm going to go inside to chat with good friends. Don't worry, I will come back when the ship sails." of."

 After saying that, Krikalev ran away.

The life of a sailor is boring, so once a ship docks for loading and unloading, sailors will go ashore to have fun. Each port is prosperous with sailors from all over the world, and various service industries are full of vitality.

 At this time, Krikalev’s request seemed nothing special.

 However, four days later, when all eight natural gas ships were loaded with natural gas and ready to return, they finally discovered something was wrong.

 “Where is the navigator?” Park Renjun was worried.

“Manager Park, we have sent someone to contact you.” Cui Wenji’s head was covered with sweat.

"There is no connection between here and the inland, and we can only travel by boat. Apart from our boats, there are no other boats docking in the past few days, so he must not be able to escape." Park Renjun analyzed: "He must be hiding. In the oil and gas fields, send more manpower to find him! Also, ask people in the oil and gas fields to help!"

When loading, the people here did not make things difficult for them. The pre-cooling and loading were done in one go, with high efficiency and no delay at all. Therefore, they also have full trust in this place. As for Krikalev's disappearance, it should not be the case. Big problem.

Although there are cases where the pilot receives his salary in advance and then disembarks and runs away, it should not be possible here.

There is strength in numbers, so everyone searched together, and finally found something after two hours.

“Over there at the No. 3 oil well, there was a frozen corpse with the upper body missing!” An employee at the oil and gas field discovered this unexpected situation.

　　It’s so cold that your upper body is gone?

 Everyone looked confused.

How is this going?

Park Renjun and Cui Wenji went over in person and saw the lower half of the body. The pants he was wearing were indeed the leather pants that Krikalev often wore, but how could this be?

“This kind of situation is very common here.” Oil and gas field workers also lamented: “Everyone likes to drink. Sometimes after drinking too much, they fall asleep lying outside and freeze into ice sculptures.”

 In the freezing-cold Da Mao territory, almost every year, people drink too much and freeze to death. However, the big guy is still a little strange: "What about the upper half of his body?"

 “It should have entered the belly of a polar bear.”

The animal at the top of the Arctic food chain is the polar bear, which is almost the largest carnivore on land. An adult polar bear weighs five to six hundred kilograms. If you encounter this animal in the wild, the risk is quite high.

As for the oil field, the No. 3 oil well is the outermost. It is normal for a polar bear to pass by by chance and eat half of the Krikalev in one bite. As for why it did not eat all of it, it is probably because it was full after eating half, or Did you feel bad after eating half of it?

 Now we’re in trouble!

"We shouldn't hire just one navigator. Even if we hire one more, we won't encounter such an accident!" Park Renjun said angrily.

Hire one more person, and maybe both of them will die here together! Lao Maozi has no other shortcomings, but his stinky habit of drinking is really frustrating! Cui Wenji thought this in his heart, and then asked Xiang Park Renjun: "Manager Park, what should we do now? Should we hire another navigator?"

"No, we don't have that much time. We have to make a few more trips before winter comes." Park Renjun said: "Although we don't have a navigator, we have already been here once and the navigation charts have been drawn. As long as we follow the route we came from, we shouldn’t encounter any problems.”

Pu Renjun didn't want to wait, he didn't have time, and he didn't want to wait here for too long. At this time, he was wearing a full set of cold-proof clothes. Only his eyes were exposed, and his eyebrows were already covered with a layer of ice, and his skin was freezing. It hurts, as if the cold had penetrated my bones.

The journey here went very smoothly, and he relaxed his vigilance.

 Besides, they are all ice-breaking natural gas ships. Even if they encounter ice, they can break through the ice and move forward. There is nothing to worry about.

“Gather and count all the people. As soon as everyone is here, we will return immediately!” Park Renjun said.

 Two hours later, the fleet set sail.

The person in charge of the oil and gas field personally sent them off. Watching the fleet disappear, he said to the people around him with a smile on his face: "Send a telegram, everything is under plan."

Without a pilot, a fleet of eight natural gas ships set out on the road. The DAON was still sailing at the front. The crew on it had been working under Krikalev. They came all the way. He kept drawing navigation charts and mastering the skills of sailing in high latitudes.

Now, they are well aware of their heavy responsibilities, and they do not dare to be careless. They operate their ships and sail carefully.

The sun set again, and accompanied by the Northern Lights, they continued sailing.

On the bridge of the DAON, two searchlight beams shone forward, illuminating their way home.

“Report, there is a glacier ahead.”

Hearing the first mate's report, Cui Wenji frowned and then said: "Notify the fleet that we have encountered a glacier on our route. Now, we need to break through the ice. Everyone on the ship pay attention and prepare to start breaking the ice!"

"yes!"

 Everyone became nervous.

 The huge DAON drove at full speed and crashed into the huge glacier. The moment their ship came into contact with the glacier, everyone felt the ship's hull shake.

They grabbed the handrails beside them and watched the ice surface that their ship's hull hit continued to expand. At the same time, the speed of the ship became smaller and smaller.

Finally, the hull stopped. With this impact, they were knocked away for more than two hundred meters. The broken ice floes were on both sides of their hull, which looked so spectacular.

“Attention, reverse!” Cui Wenji was quite satisfied with the impact.

The natural gas ship began to fall backwards, fell a few hundred meters, and then hit full power again.

Just like this, they hit again and again, and advanced again and again. By the time the sun appeared again in the eastern sky, they had already advanced several kilometers.

“Report to the captain, something is wrong!” the first mate said to Cui Wenji with some worry.

"What's wrong?" Cui Wenji looked outside curiously, his face a little ugly: "When we came here, we really didn't encounter such a big glacier. Could it be that we went the wrong way?"

"The data displayed by GLONASS shows that our current position is correct, and we are on the return route. There is land on our right, so it should be correct." the crew member replied.

In high latitudes, the magnetic compass indications will be inaccurate. This is because the magnetic lines of induction are no longer parallel to the ground at this time, but have a large vertical component. When Lao Maozi shot down the passenger plane in the South Kimchi Country, among them One theory is that the magnetic compass on the passenger plane was faulty.

 So, after the global navigation and positioning system is developed, it will be more appropriate to rely on satellite navigation systems rather than magnetic compasses in high latitude areas.

At this time, the crew member's answer finally made Cui Wenji feel relieved: "In this Arctic region, the climate is changing abnormally. It is likely that a new cold current has appeared, causing the ice here to be frozen. However, don't worry, Our ships have ice-breaking capabilities and will definitely be able to open a channel through the ice."

At this time, they are not very worried. After all, their ships are ice-breaking types and can definitely open a channel on the ice and return to the east.

 They just need to sail towards the east! It's just that the weather seems to be very cold!

 (End of this chapter)