Chapter 619 Trapped in the North Pole

   One day, two days, three days.

   On the third night, the crew on the DAON finally discovered something that frightened them.

  The ship retreated tens of meters, then hit full throttle and slammed into the ice.

  The bow of the ship rubbed against the ice layer, making a creaking sound, but the hull only advanced a meter or two before stopping abruptly!

how so?

   "Report, our ship can no longer break through the ice!" The first officer shouted anxiously to the captain.

   Only by breaking through hundreds of meters at a time can we move forward. If we break through one or two meters at a time, what is the progress? At this snail's crawling speed, they can't go back for several months, and it's even more difficult for them to endure in winter.

   "Impossible, impossible, there must be something wrong!" Cui Wenji's anxiety became more and more intense: "Let's go down and have a look!"

  There is solid ice outside, and they can use the stern to release the crane of the boat to go down. When they step on the ice and drill a hole to measure the depth, all faces change.

  Two meters three!

  The thickness of the ice layer here has exceeded two meters!

"There is a problem, there must be a problem! Even in winter, it is impossible for such a thick layer of ice to appear on our route!" Cui Wenji looked at the northern lights and the dots of stars in the sky, and said nervously: " Quick, use starlight to determine our position!"

They are only sailing near the Arctic Circle, and generally there are mostly ice floes. Even if they encounter ice, it is tens of centimeters, at most one meter thick. This kind of thicker than two meters is absolutely impossible to appear near the Arctic Circle. !

   Now, Cui Wenji has already thought of some terrible situation, he can no longer trust the GLONASS navigation system, he wants to use the oldest starlight navigation!

  In the era without modern advanced instruments, ancient navigators invented various nautical instruments. They could observe the sun or the stars, and determine their approximate position by measuring various angles.

  That's right, this kind of calculation must be approximate. The ancient instruments are simple and the error may be tens of kilometers. However, this can also roughly determine their location.

  The crew quickly moved out the sextant, and began to measure the stars above their heads. The fear in their eyes gradually grew.

   "How about it, where are we now?" Cui Wenji said to the surveying personnel on the deck.

   "Report, we are still reviewing. If it is correct, our current location is above 78 degrees north latitude."

   "What?" Cui Wenji opened his eyes wide: "What did you say?"

The Arctic Circle is at 66 degrees north latitude. In Da Mao’s territory, further north is the Novosibirian Islands at 75 degrees north latitude. Their route is the narrow and long waterway between the Novosibirian Islands and the Da Mao land. Now Woolen cloth? They actually jumped to more than 78 degrees north latitude, that is to say, the piece of land they saw on the right was not a continent at all, but the New Siberian Islands!

  I originally thought that walking along the coastline, as long as the right side is always land, there will be no problem. Who would have thought that something would happen!

   Strange voices sounded around them. With fear of the unknown world in their hearts, they looked outside, and then they were shocked: "The ice that has been smashed around us is refreezing!"

The entire fleet was aware of the deterioration of the situation. Wearing a thick down jacket, Park Renjun also came outside. He watched the changes in the ice around the hull and was extremely angry: "Damn it, what's going on? Reverse immediately, Reverse!"

   The fleet began to retreat, but stopped after retreating less than a few hundred meters, and the ice behind them had also frozen. They had no way to continue to open a road!

  An icebreaker that relies on collisions to open up a route must be able to move!

   If the front and back are frozen, then this kind of icebreaker cannot start, and it is impossible to continue hitting the ice. In this way, eight natural gas ships were frozen on the ice!

   "Hurry up, contact the company immediately!" Park Renjun's voice was full of anxiety: "Please ask the company to apply for rescue from Da Mao!"

  It was already three o'clock in the middle of the night.

When he was woken up from his dream, Zheng Zhenze was still a little annoyed. Ever since the fleet went out to sea, he began to fall into a special kind of anxiety. He couldn't sleep well every day. He just fell asleep tonight when he was woken up up!

"What happened?"

   "Our fleet is trapped on the ice and needs emergency rescue!"

   Rescue? Zheng Zhenze's face suddenly changed: "What's going on?"

After listening to the whole process, Zheng Zhenze's face was terribly dark: "Damn it, Park Renjun dared to go on the road without a navigator. What did he think? Don't you know that you have to report any problems and let the company help you?" Solve it? This incident, he should bear the main responsibility!"

In fact, it is Zheng Zhenze who should be responsible. In order to save money, he only hired one navigator. Even if there are one or two more, this situation will not happen today. Admit yourself? Mistakes and negligence are of course the subordinates' own!

   "Now, send me to see Mr. Li immediately, and I will report to him!"

   This kind of thing can no longer be handled within Sanxing Heavy Industry, because they have no money for Sanxing Heavy Industry! The last loan was all given to the fleet. As long as the fleet can transport natural gas back, it will be slowed down. Who would have thought that such an accident would happen.

When he arrived at Mr. Li's villa, it was already four o'clock in the morning. Mr. Li in pajamas got up from the bed of the hottest female star on TV, and his face was also very ugly. After listening to Zheng Zhenze's report, then His face was even colder.

   "Mr. Li, now we need a sum of money to rescue the fleet. There must be no accident to the fleet." Zheng Zhenze said nervously.

"This matter is not only related to you, but also to our entire group." Mr. Li said in a low voice: "It is said that the group should spend money to save them. But the situation is very bad now, and international speculators are Frantically attacking Southeast Asia, their goal is the four Asian tigers, so it is very likely that we will be involved, and the group must set aside part of the funds for emergency."

   Just on July 2, under the attack of international financial speculators, Siam announced that it would abandon the fixed exchange rate system and implement a floating exchange rate system, triggering a financial turmoil throughout Southeast Asia.

  Siam surrendered, and several other nearby countries became targets of international speculators.

  Just recently, Malaysia also fell under the attack, and this financial crisis broke out. Unlike before, this is completely man-made!

   Those damned international speculators are full and will definitely look for new targets. At this time, the South Kimchi Country is already on high alert.

   As the big consortium of the South Kimchi Country, the Sanxing Group can imagine their pressure. At this time, how could they pay a large sum of money for rescue?

  Zheng Zhenze's face suddenly turned pale: "Mr. Li, if there is no funds from the group, the fleet will be finished!"

   "How come, don't you have insurance?"

Insurance?

  Yes, we still have insurance!

  Zheng Zhenze finally found a way out, and the expression on his face relaxed.

   "This matter must be handled properly. The fleet must be returned in full, so as to build confidence in front of the public. If something happens, we may still need you to come to the rescue." Mr. Li said.

  Zheng Zhenze nodded: "Please rest assured, we will never let the president down."

  Zheng Zhenze left the president's villa and went to the insurance company. When the eastern sky just lit up, he had already appeared at the gate of the insurance company. However, when he saw the seal on the door, his expression changed again.

On this day, he has already experienced too many twists and turns, and he, who had a strong ability to bear it, can no longer control it. His heart is beating violently, the blood vessels on his temples are constantly vibrating, and his eyes are gradually shaking. dark.

   "President, President!"

  The people around him rushed to help him.

  Insurance also costs a lot of money. In order to save money, Zheng Zhenze did not choose a large insurance company in South Kimchi Country, but chose a small insurance company that is not well-known, so the insurance premium is the cheapest.

   Now, who would have thought that this small insurance company has gone bankrupt, and the office area here has also been sealed up by the court!

The South Kimchi Country is already a well-established country. Even if the insurance company goes bankrupt, other insurance companies will take over. However, this needs to go through a process. During this process, all insurance payments will be suspended. It is too difficult for them to get money from the insurance company. After all, the eight liquefied gas ships on the Arctic ice cap cannot afford to wait!

   "President, we just found out that this insurance company has a lot of international business. They were hit by the recent financial crisis in Southeast Asia, so they couldn't pay, so they had to go bankrupt."

   "Damn it!" At this time, Zheng Zhenze regretted it very much. If he had to do it all over again, he would definitely not choose a small insurance company!

  Without insurance coverage, what are they going to do now?

  Go back to find Mr. Li?

Mr. Li has made it clear that the entire group may be in danger. At this time, the group will definitely not allocate funds to save them. After all, the most important business of the group is electronics. money! They relied on this method to kill many competitors, and it was the same this time.

  The status of the shipbuilding industry within the group has been getting lower and lower!

   What to do, what to do next?

   "President, do you want to find Mr. Qin of Mingzhou Group? Mr. Qin is very capable, and he has a good relationship with Damao. Maybe he can find a way to help us?"

   "Yes, Mr. Qin is still our partner." Zheng Zhenze said: "Now, we have to ask Mr. Qin for help!"

  That afternoon, Zheng Zhenze, who was busy with travel and dust, came to Mingzhou Group. He was very lucky, and Mr. Qin happened to be here!

"Mr. Qin, I'm very glad to meet you. Now, we have something very important to ask you for help." Zheng Zhenze said: "You probably know that eight of our natural gas ships went on the wrong route and entered the depths of the North Pole by mistake." , is now trapped, we need a sum of money to ask Da Mao to send out an icebreaker to help us rescue the fleet."

  Of course Qin Tao knew, this was part of the plan. He even knew about it earlier than the people from Sanxing Heavy Industry. When the fleet left the oil and gas field, he already knew that the plan was successful.

   "How could this be? Don't you have a navigator?" Qin Tao asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we also regret that we didn't hire more navigators, and the hired navigator was drunk and was eaten by polar bears in the oil and gas field!" Speaking of these, Zheng Zhenze was very annoyed: "Now , we have no other choice."

   "What about the insurance company? This kind of accident should be paid by the insurance company. Don't you have insurance?"

   "Of course I bought it, but the insurance company went bankrupt." Zheng Zhenze was about to burst into tears. This is called misfortunes never come singly!

"It's really troublesome. Your fleet is too big. Ordinary icebreakers may not be able to open a wide enough route. If you want to save them now, it's best to hire a nuclear-powered icebreaker from the Lucia Nuclear Power Administration. I and them Not familiar with it, and the cost is not low."

  Nuclear powered icebreaker!

When sailing in the Arctic, the energy consumption must be small. Therefore, the old man likes to use the nuclear power system the most. The first nuclear power system used in ships was used on icebreakers. Once nuclear materials are installed, it can be used for more than ten years. In this way, the cabin can be freed up for other things.

  Nuclear power brings unlimited endurance, and the interior of the cabin can also be heated by the secondary circuit of the nuclear reactor. In Lao Maozi's icebreaker, there is even a swimming pool for sailors to move about.

As for now, Lao Maozi's most professional icebreaker is the Arctic-class nuclear-powered icebreaker. It is the most advanced icebreaker in the world. With a power of 70,000 horsepower, it can break through the ice of three to four meters. The first icebreaker of this class is the Arctic. The HMS successfully reached the North Pole in 1977 and became the first surface ship in the world to reach the North Pole.

  A total of seven Arctic-class nuclear-powered icebreakers were launched, and the last one, the 50th Anniversary Victory, was launched in 8*9. But it caught up with a bad era, so it was finally built in 2003. (There is also a saying that the Arctic was only launched in 20 years. I can’t find the exact information. Huadong Zhixiong believes that these should be two different icebreakers. The one in the book is the second generation, and the one launched in 20 years seems to be the first. Four generations, but they are all called Beiji.)

However, as the latest icebreaker, the 50th Anniversary Victory Icebreaker has created a lot of new businesses. In addition to scientific research and rescue, it will also provide tourism services, and even carry a helicopter specially to serve passengers. .

  The icebreaker of this level is managed by the Lucia Nuclear Power Administration, so if you want to hire this kind of icebreaker to rescue, you have to go to the Lucia Nuclear Power Administration, and then you have to prepare a large sum of money.

   "Mr. Qin, can you tell Lao Maozi to give us credit first, wait until we transport the goods to the destination, get the freight, and then pay them back."

   Empty glove white wolf? Qin Tao secretly laughed in his heart, this move is learned from himself! However, did not learn the essence! Want to credit, how can it be so easy!

   "Boss Qin, we have been in an old relationship for several years. Please help us. This is related to the life and death of our Sanxing Heavy Industry." Zheng Zhenze said.

   "Okay, you rest first, I will contact you." Qin Tao said: "I will definitely do my best to help."

  Zheng Zhenze stayed in the luxurious guest house of Mingzhou Group for one night. Looking at the thriving scene in the shipyard, he felt very emotional. They are also shipbuilding, so why is there such a big gap?

  However, our side will definitely get through this difficulty!

This night was destined to be a sleepless night. Early the next morning, Zheng Zhenze went to look for Qin Tao again. Qin Tao was already full of helplessness: "I'm sorry, my friend, I made a request, but they rejected it." , They asked for a rescue fee of five million dollars, and they will only be dispatched when the money arrives."

"Five million U.S. dollars? So expensive?" Zheng Zhenze was very surprised: "How could this happen? Da Mao asks for such a high price, how will he open up the Arctic sea route in the future? If all passing ships have to pay high icebreaker fees, then who will go?" Take this route?"

"If it is a normal rescue, it will definitely not take so much. If you sail on the Arctic coast of Da Mao, you only need an ordinary icebreaker to rescue you. The key this time is to drive to the depths of the Arctic and you need a nuclear-powered icebreaker." Qin Tao said : "You are still not careful!"

   We're not careful? We drove to the depths of the Arctic? So we deserve it? At this time, Zheng Zhenze had mixed feelings in his heart, and he swallowed: "Even if it's a nuclear-powered icebreaker, it doesn't need to be so expensive, right?"

"Mr. Zheng, you should know Da Mao's situation. Their life is not easy. Da Mao's Lusia Nuclear Power Administration has not paid wages for a long time. They need to use money to pay wages. They also have a 50th Anniversary Victory The nuclear-powered icebreaker has been unable to continue building because there is no money, so..."

   "So they want to cheat us for a sum of money, too much, too much! What does their lack of money have to do with us?"

"However, your eight natural gas ships need their rescue! In fact, if you follow the normal route, even in winter, the thickness of the ice over there will not exceed two meters, and there will be no ice at all. question."

  In later generations, the new ice-breaking natural gas ship built by Red Star Shipyard has enhanced the performance of the Arc7 ice class, has an ice-breaking capacity of up to 2.1 meters, and can already travel sideways on the Arctic route.

  The reason why they are in trouble now is that the fleet of Sanxing Heavy Industry took the wrong route and went deep into the North Pole.

   "But, we don't have any money!" Zheng Zhenze said helplessly: "Boss Qin, can you lend us five million?"

"Five million is not a small amount. For us, there will also be a risk of capital disconnection. Especially, the recent financial market is not stable. We have to allocate enough funds to deal with special circumstances." Qin Tao said .

   "President Qin, please do us this favor!"

   "Well, for the sake of our being friends, I will help you once, but you also need a collateral."

Pawn?

  Of course Zheng Zhenze knew that when Mingzhou Group lent them five million, they needed not only interest, but also mortgage. It was impossible to lend to them just because they were friends, which would be dangerous.

  However, what should be used as collateral?

  What they can mortgage, has long been mortgaged to the bank in Kimchi Country. They have borrowed several times, and even some mortgages have been mortgaged for the second time!

   "However, you don't have to worry. The Chongming Island shipyard we cooperate with is still operating normally. There..."

   Chongming Island Shipyard? Zheng Zhenze was finally hungry.

   "We put the shares of Chongming Island Shipyard..."

He originally only wanted to talk about a part of the shares, but Qin Tao took over the conversation: "Although the Chongming Island Shipyard has grown, the valuation of the shares in your hands is just enough for five million as collateral. If it has to be lower, we Mingzhou Group will suffer a loss and use these shares as collateral."

  I didn't say everything! Zheng Zhenze wanted to refute something, but Qin Tao continued to speak: "This matter, I guess you don't care about it, you report it to the Sanxing Group. I still have something to do, Zhengyang, see off the guests."

  After Zheng Zhenze was sent away, Xu Zhengyang came back happily: "Mr. Qin, in this way, Chongming Island Shipyard will change from a joint venture to a sole proprietorship!"

   "Of course, we never thought about a joint venture at all. We can get what we want. Sanxing Heavy Industry has taken advantage of us for many years, and now it is time to pay us back with interest!"

   "However, are they willing to mortgage?"

   "Of course, they have no other way to go. Now, those guys who are frozen on the Arctic ice cap are really pitiful. Even if they don't lack fuel or water, they still lack food!"

  They drive a liquefied natural gas ship, and they also have a special device to collect leaked natural gas, and then use it for the ship's engine, so they don't have to worry about fuel, and their cabin can always maintain a sufficient temperature.

  The Arctic ice cap is full of fresh water, and they will not lack water, but what about food?

   As they get trapped longer and longer, food will be the first big problem they face!

  On the MIR, a group of captains are having a meeting.

   "Considering possible accidents during the voyage, we have prepared food for two months. However, the current situation is very special, and we must reduce food consumption." A captain said.

   "No, it's freezing here. If we don't eat enough, our physical fitness will decrease, and we may get sick. Everyone, there is no hospital here for us to see a doctor!"

   "How about we apply for the help of the rescue team and ask them to send out a helicopter to pick up our extra crew?"

   "No, the group is already trying to save us!" Park Renjun shook his head: "Our fleet will start sailing again at any time, and we cannot live without crew."

   "Then, there is only one solution left." Cui Wenji said: "We are like Eskimos, catching prey to spend this time."

   "Catching prey? You are so whimsical!" Immediately, someone refuted his words: "We are all sailors, and it's almost the same to catch a fish. When it comes to catching prey, who has the ability? We don't have shotguns either!"

   "Let's ask the group for help, let them find a way quickly."

   Help? Of course they were calling for help. They were calling the maritime satellite phone every day. They thought they would get out of trouble soon, but, day by day, what was the group doing?

  (end of this chapter)