Chapter 619 Trapped in the Arctic

 One day, two days, three days.

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

The ship retreated dozens of meters, then turned on its full power and slammed into the ice.

　　The bow of the ship rubbed against the ice, making a creaking sound. However, the hull only advanced one or two meters before it stopped abruptly!

how so?

“Report, our ship can no longer break through the ice!” the first mate shouted anxiously to the captain.

 You can only move forward if you break through several hundred meters at a time. If you break through only one or two meters at a time, why move forward? At this snail's pace, they can't go back for several months, and it will be even more difficult for them in winter.

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

There was solid ice outside, and they could use the stern crane to release the boat. When they stepped on the ice, drilled a hole, and measured the depth, all the faces changed.

 Two meters and three meters!

 The ice thickness here has exceeded two meters!

"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 stars in the sky and said nervously: " Quick, use starlight to determine our position!"

They are only sailing near the Arctic Circle, which is usually filled with floating ice. Even if they encounter ice, it is only tens of centimeters and up to one meter thick. This kind of thickness of more than two meters is absolutely impossible to appear near the Arctic Circle. !

Now, Cui Wenji has thought of some terrible situation. He can no longer believe in the GLONASS navigation system. He wants to use the oldest starlight navigation!

 In an era without modern advanced instruments, ancient navigators invented a variety of navigation instruments. They could observe the sun and stars, and determine their approximate position by measuring various angles.

Yes, this kind of measurement is definitely rough. Ancient instruments were simple and the error could be tens of kilometers. However, this can also roughly determine their location.

The crew hurriedly brought out the sextant and began to measure the stars above their heads. Fear began to grow in their eyes.

“How is it, where are we now?” Cui Wenji said to the surveyors on the deck.

"We are still reviewing the report. 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, and even further north is the New Siberian Islands at 75 degrees north latitude. Their route takes the narrow waterway between the New Siberian Islands and Da Mao land, and now Woolen cloth? They actually jumped above 78 degrees north latitude. In other words, the piece of land they saw on the right was not a continent at all, but the New Siberian Islands!

 Originally I thought that walking along the coastline, as long as there was land all the way to the right, there would be no problem. Who would have thought that something happened?

There were strange sounds all around. With fear of the unknown world in their hearts, they looked outside, and then they were shocked: "The ice that has been broken around us is re-freezing!"

The entire fleet was aware of the deterioration of the situation. Park Renjun, wearing a thick down jacket, also came outside. He looked at the changes in the ice around the hull and was extremely angry: "Damn, what is going on? Reverse the car immediately. Back up!”

The fleet began to retreat, but after retreating less than a few hundred meters, it stopped. The ice behind it had also frozen, and there was no way they could continue to open a path!

An icebreaker that relies on collisions to open up shipping lanes must have the ability to move!

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

“Hurry, contact the company immediately!” Park Renjun’s voice was filled with anxiety: “Please ask the company to apply for rescue from Damao!”

 It was already three o'clock in the night.

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

"What happened?"

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

 Rescue? Zheng Zhenze's expression suddenly changed: "What on earth is going on?"

After listening to the whole process, Zheng Zhenze's face turned terrifying: "Damn it, Park Renjun dared to go on the road without a navigator. What did he think? Don't you know that if you encounter problems, you have to report them and the company will help? Solve it? He must bear the main responsibility for this incident!"

In fact, Zheng Zhenze is responsible. In order to save money, he only hired one navigator. Even if there were one or two more, the situation would not be like today. However, as the leader of Sanxing Heavy Industry, how could he Admit your mistake? Of course the mistakes and faults belong to the subordinates!

“Now, send me to see Mr. Li immediately, I want to report to him!”

This kind of thing can no longer be handled within their Sanhang Heavy Industry, because their Sanhang Heavy Industry has no money! The last loan was all given to the fleet. As long as the fleet can transport natural gas back, it will be relieved. Who would have thought that we would encounter such an accident.

When he arrived at Mr. Li's villa, it was already four o'clock in the morning. Mr. Li, wearing pajamas, got up from the bed of the most popular female star on TV. 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. The fleet must not have any accidents." Zheng Zhenze spoke nervously.

"This matter is not only related to you, but also to our entire group." Mr. Li said in a low voice: "Ordinarily, the group should spend money to rescue them. However, the situation is very bad now, and international speculators are They are frantically attacking Southeast Asia, and their target is the Four Asian Tigers, so it is very likely that we will be involved, and the group must set aside some funds for emergencies."

 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 the targets of international speculators.

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

Those **** international speculators will definitely be looking for new targets when they are well fed and drunk. At this time, the South Kimchi Country is already on high alert.

As a large conglomerate in the South Kimchi Country, the pressure on the Sanhang Group can be imagined. At this time, how could they spend a large amount of money for rescue?

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

 “How is that possible? Don’t you have insurance?”

Insurance?

 That's right, we still have insurance!

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

“This matter must be handled well. The fleet must return intact, so as to build confidence in the public. If there is an accident, we may need rescuers.” Mr. Li said.

Zheng Zhenze nodded: "Don't worry, we will never let the president down."

Zheng Zhenze left the president's villa and headed 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 at the door, his expression changed again.

On this day, he has experienced too many twists and turns. He, who was originally very capable, can no longer control it. His heart is beating violently, the blood vessels on his temples are trembling constantly, and the vision in front of his eyes gradually Pitch black.

 “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 the big insurance company in South Kimchi Country, but chose a small and unknown insurance company, which had the cheapest insurance premium.

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

Kimchi Country is already a country with a well-established system. Even if an insurance company goes bankrupt, other insurance companies will take over. However, this requires a process, which can take as little as three to five months, as long as one or two years. During this process, all insurance claims will be suspended. It will be too difficult for them to get money from the insurance companies. 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 Southeast Asian financial crisis and were unable to pay compensation and could only go bankrupt.”

 “Damn it!” At this time, Zheng Zhenze already regretted it very much. If he had to do it all over again, he would never choose a small insurance company!

 Without insurance compensation, what should they 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 rescue them. After all, the group's most important business is electronics. The more losses it makes, the more it will be destroyed. money! They relied on this method to survive 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 quite 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 go to Mr. Qin for help!"

That afternoon, Zheng Zhenze, who was tired of his travels, came to Mingzhou Group. He was very lucky. Mr. Qin happened to be here!

"Mr. Qin, I am very happy to meet you. Now, we have a very important matter to ask you for help." Zheng Zhenze said: "You probably also know that eight of our natural gas ships took the wrong route and strayed into the depths of the Arctic. , now we are trapped, we need a sum of money to ask Damao to dispatch 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 at Sanhang Heavy Industry. When the fleet left the oil and gas field, he already knew that the plan was successful.

“How could this happen? Don’t you have a navigator?” Qin Tao asked in surprise.

"Yes, we also regret that we did not hire more navigators. The hired navigator was drunk and was eaten by a polar bear in the oil and gas field!" Speaking of this, Zheng Zhenze became very angry: "Now , we have no other way."

"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 burst into tears. This is called misfortunes that never come singly!

"It's really a trouble. Your fleet is too big. It is estimated that ordinary icebreakers will not be able to open up a wide enough route. If you want to rescue them now, it is best to hire a nuclear-powered icebreaker from the Lucia Nuclear Power Administration. I and them It’s not familiar, and the cost is not low.”

 Nuclear powered icebreaker!

When sailing in the Arctic, energy consumption must be small, so Lao Maozi likes to use nuclear power systems the most. The first nuclear power system for ships was used on icebreakers. Once nuclear materials are installed, it can be used for more than ten years. 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 using the secondary circuit of the nuclear reactor. In Lao Maozi's icebreaker, there is even a swimming pool for sailors to move around.

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. It relies on 70,000 horsepower to break through three or four meters of ice. It is the first Arctic icebreaker of this class. No. 1 successfully reached the North Pole in 1977, becoming the first surface ship in the world to reach the North Pole.

A total of seven Arctic-class nuclear-powered icebreakers have been launched. The last one, the 50th Anniversary Victory, was started in 8*9. But it caught up with a bad era, so it was finally completed in 2003. (It is also said that the Arctic was only launched in 20 years. No exact information can be found. Heroes of East China 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 third one. The fourth generation, but they are all called Arctic.)

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

 Icebreakers of this level are managed by the Lucia Nuclear Power Administration. Therefore, if you want to hire this kind of icebreaker for rescue, you have to go to the Lucia Nuclear Power Administration, and then you have to prepare a large amount of funds.

"Mr. Qin, can you talk to Lao Maozi and give us credit first? When we transport the goods to the destination and get the freight, we can pay them back."

Hand in vain? Qin Tao secretly laughed in his heart, he learned this skill from himself! However, I didn’t learn the essence! How can it be so easy to get credit?

"Mr. Qin, we have been cooperating for several years. Please help us. This is related to the life and death of our three heavy industries." Zheng Zhenze said.

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

Zheng Zhenze stayed for one night in the luxurious guest house of Mingzhou Group. He looked at the prosperous scene in the shipyard and felt very emotional in his heart. They were both building ships, so why was there such a big difference?

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 find Qin Tao again. Qin Tao's face 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 US dollars, and they will not be dispatched until the money is received."

"Five million US dollars? So expensive?" Zheng Zhenze was extremely surprised: "How could this be? If Da Mao charges such a high price, how can we open up Arctic shipping routes in the future? If all passing ships have to pay the high cost of icebreakers, who will go there? Take this route?”

"If it is a normal rescue, it will definitely not require so much. When sailing on the Arctic coast of Damao, you only need ordinary icebreakers for rescue. The key this time is that you are sailing to the depths of the Arctic and need nuclear-powered icebreakers." Qin Tao said : "You are still not careful!"

 Are we careless? Are we driving deep into the Arctic? So we deserve it? At this time, Zheng Zhenze had mixed feelings in his heart. He swallowed: "Even if a nuclear-powered icebreaker is dispatched, it doesn't have to be so expensive, right?"

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

“So they want to cheat us out of money, it’s too much, it’s too much! What does their lack of money have to do with us?”

"But your eight natural gas ships need their rescue! In fact, if you follow the normal route, even in winter, the thickness of the ice 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 Arc7 ice-class performance, has an ice-breaking capacity of up to 2.1 meters, and can already travel sideways on the Arctic route.

 The reason why we are in trouble now is that the fleet of Sanhang Heavy Industry took the wrong route and went deep into the Arctic.

“But we have no money!” Zheng Zhenze said helplessly: “Mr. Qin, can you lend us five million?”

"Five million is not a small amount. For us, there is also the risk of funds being cut off. Especially, the recent financial market is not peaceful. We have to allocate enough funds to cope with special circumstances." Qin Tao said .

“Mr. Qin, please do us this favor!”

“Okay, since we are friends, I will help you once, but you must also have a pledge.”

Pawn?

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

However, what should be used as collateral?

What they can mortgage has long been mortgaged to the banks of Kimchi Country. They have borrowed money several times, and some of the mortgages have even been mortgaged a 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 took the shares of Chongming Island Shipyard…”

He originally only wanted to talk about part of the shares, but Qin Tao took over the conversation: "Although Chongming Island Shipyard has grown and expanded, the valuation of the shares in your hands is only 5 million, which can be used as collateral. If the price is lower, our 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 had already continued: "I guess you don't have to say anything about this matter. You should report it to Sanhang Group. I have something else to do, Zhengyang, to see off the guests."

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

“Of course, we have never thought about a joint venture at all. We get whatever we want. Three Banks Heavy Industry has taken advantage of us for many years, and now it’s time to return it to us with profits!”

 “But, are they willing to mortgage it?”

“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 are not short of fuel or water, they are also short of food!”

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

  There is fresh water on the Arctic ice cap, so they will not lack water sources, but what about food?

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

 On the MIR, a group of captains were 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.” said a captain.

“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 help from the rescue team and let them send out helicopters to pick up our extra crew members?”

"No, the group is already thinking of ways to save us!" Park Renjun shook his head: "Our fleet will sail again at any time, and we cannot live without crew members."

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

"Capturing prey? You are really fanciful!" Someone immediately refuted his words: "We are all sailors, catching a fish is just enough. When it comes to catching prey, who has this ability? We don't have a shotgun!"

“It’s better to ask for help from the group and let them find a solution quickly.”

 Call for help? Of course they were asking for help. They were talking to the maritime satellite phone every day. They thought they would be out of trouble soon. However, as day after day passed, what on earth was the group doing?

 (End of this chapter)