Chapter 1150 Why are there two water guides?

"I've found another reason why I can't live in The Hague permanently." Xiao Peng sighed while smoking at the side of the ship.

The Netherlands boasts a string of ports, large and small, along its coast, including The Hague. However, The Hague isn't a deepwater port, so it's primarily used by sailboats and small boats. Large offshore vessels can't dock there. While not as large as Xiao Peng's two ships, the Ifrit is still nearly fifty meters long. The largest vessel docked at The Hague is a tugboat over twenty meters long, making it impossible for the Ifrit to enter.

Where will the ship be anchored?

Port of Rotterdam, where Xiao Peng’s two ships are also docked.

The Port of Rotterdam is located in the south of The Hague, at the mouth of the Rhine and Maas rivers. From the Atlantic Ocean, you can follow the river into the Port of Rotterdam. After getting off the ship, you can drive back from Rotterdam to The Hague. It's not far, just an hour's drive, but it's really annoying.

The Port of Rotterdam was once known as the "Gateway to Europe." Until the 1980s, it was the world's largest port by throughput, and it's still among the top ten ports globally. What does that mean? It's because it handles a lot of ships!

Rotterdam sees over 30,000 ships arriving from the Atlantic Ocean each year, with nearly 100 large cruise ships waiting to dock daily. The number of inland vessels sailing from Rotterdam to various European countries is even greater, exceeding 120,000!

Basically, cargo ships entering Europe enter the Port of Rotterdam from the Atlantic Ocean, then unload their cargo here. The cargo is then loaded onto ships and shipped along the Rhine and Danube rivers to various European countries.

So while the Port of Rotterdam may not be the world's busiest port by throughput, it is definitely the busiest. However, this port also has a problem: because entering the port requires a long river crossing, the anchorage outside the port is at the Atlantic estuary, where ships wait for pilots to board them.

Xiao Peng was almost going crazy. He really wanted a helicopter to pick him up, but due to air traffic control in The Hague, the helicopter could not return home. They could only enter the port from Rotterdam and then return to The Hague.

Hua Chong laughed and said, "Boss, it seems William wants to keep you in the Netherlands no matter what. Now if France is involved, it becomes a question of 'who is the boss, France or Germany?' If the salvage alliance's headquarters is still in Germany, who knows what tricks France will use to hinder it. And if the headquarters is placed in France? Germany will definitely not agree. So we have to find a third country at this time. And that's why so many international organizations are headquartered in the Netherlands."

Xiao Peng said angrily, "Their arrangements are good, but have they considered me? They don't have any brains to think about how I deal with them. This is just arrogance from the bottom of their bones, right?"

"Boss, what do you want to do?" Hua Chong asked.

Xiao Peng shook his head and said, "Let me think about it. Has the water diversion not arrived yet?"

Chen Cheng suddenly pointed forward and said, "Here they come!"

Xiao Peng then noticed a small speedboat heading towards them. Hua Chong put his fingers in his mouth and blew a loud whistle: "Xiao Zhao, lower the gangway, the pilot is coming!"

The so-called "pilot" is a seaman. Most countries in the world now have a mandatory pilot system, which involves sending a pilot aboard to assist the captain in entering port. After all, ships travel all over the world, and even the most skilled captains don't have complete knowledge of the waterways, tides, and currents of every port, so pilots are needed.

At this time, Chen Cheng slapped his forehead and said, "Damn, Boss, this is not our ship. What should we do with the 'tribute'?"

Xiao Peng was stunned after hearing this: "Damn, I forgot about this. Ask Ka Xin, this guy must have the goods!"

Hua Chong grinned, "Boss, I'm going to find Kasin! I promise to get all his 'inventory' out!"

Xiao Peng nodded: "Go! Don't bully him too much!"

The "tribute" they referred to was a gift to the pilot, mostly consisting of alcohol and tobacco. "Sea voyages rely on alcohol and tobacco," this was an unwritten rule in ports around the world. For Xiao Peng and his colleagues, the quality of a pilot's skills was a good indicator of a country's economic status.

For example, when they go to Ukraine, the pilots will ask for things directly; but when they go to ports in Germany, the Netherlands and other places, the pilots will not ask for gifts, but of course they will basically accept any gifts you give them.

How can we tell that they accept all gifts?

You can tell the clue from the appearance of the pilot.

Basically, pilots carry a backpack with them, which is used to carry gifts...

When Hua Chong and Kaxin arrived, the pilot was climbing the gangway.

In addition to being familiar with the waterway conditions, another basic requirement for these pilots is the ability to climb the gangway.

Most pilots board the ship using a gangway. Xiao Peng and his crew's ship is relatively better off, but the sides of some giant oil tankers are dozens of meters high. Coupled with the weather and waves sometimes, piloting is also a dangerous job.

"Huh?" Chen Cheng glanced at the gangway and asked, "Why are there two pilots?"

Generally speaking, pilots board the ship alone, so why are there two pilots climbing the gangway?

Hua Chong gave an answer: "Are you taking an apprentice?"

In some countries, water diversion is trained in a master-apprentice format, with the apprentice then training the apprentice.

Chen Cheng shook his head. "No, no, no. Pilots in the Port of Rotterdam are required to have several years of captaining experience before they are qualified. We're recruiting crew members this time and there are several Dutch pilots who want to interview. Hua Chong, I suggest you become a captain for a few years. Otherwise, you won't even be able to be a pilot once you're off the ship."

"Why would I be a pilot?" Hua Chong said, "If I get off the boat, I can be the boss's bodyguard. Even Kasim can be a bodyguard, so why can't I?"

After hearing this, Ka Xin became anxious: "What do you mean? Go find a place to practice!"

"Just practice! Who's afraid of who?" Hua Chong said.

Xiao Peng said, "Alright, everyone, calm down. Kassin, you and Khedira should keep an eye on these two water diverters. Old Chen is right. Why are there two water diverters here?"

Hua Chong slapped his forehead. "Maybe it's because this is the Salvage King's ship? Do you want to get a bigger share of the spoils here?"

Kasin sneered. "Hua, brains are a good thing, but you need talent! Is this the boss's ship? This is the Ifrit! How did they know the boss was on board? In fact, I can't understand why this ship needs a pilot. Even if the Ifrit is a Panamanian ship, its headquarters should be in Rotterdam, right? Does "Going Home" still need a pilot? Did this captain grow up eating shit?"

After he finished speaking, the scene was silent.

Kasin was stunned: "Why are you all looking at me like this? What did I say wrong?"

Xiao Peng patted Kassin on the shoulder and said, "Those involved are often confused, but those who are watching clearly see clearly. It seems we've all made the mistake of preconceived notions. Do you have your gun? Go get Khedira ready! It's better to be safe than sorry!"