Chapter 563 This Ship Has a Big Problem
In the restaurant, Xiao Peng looked at the laptop in front of him, while Chen Zetao was smoking beside him and waiting for him without saying a word.
After a while, Xiao Peng closed his laptop and thought for a moment. He looked up and said, "Brother Chen, tell me the truth, what exactly does this mean?"
Chen Zetao was stunned: "Is there a problem?"
"Of course there's a problem!" Xiao Peng said directly, "Tell me what's going on with that 300-meter saturation diving operation chamber on the ship? Is this the second 'Deep Dive'? Why are you sending people down there?"
Chen Zetao blinked: "What can we do? Nothing!"
Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "Don't give me that. Why would you use saturation diving for simple salvage? What are you trying to do on the seabed?"
Chen Zetao hurriedly said, "You really misunderstood. We're not doing anything. As you know, our domestic saturation diving technology has been constantly improving and is now at the forefront of the world. But the higher-ups are pushing for practical development of saturation diving, so they've added a brand new saturation diving support chamber to the ship! With this ship alone, there's no limit to what we can't salvage. But we're facing a small problem right now."
"What little problem?" Xiao Peng asked.
Chen Zetao said, "Although the people on the ship are all veterans, they are still unfamiliar with deep-sea salvage. So I'd like to borrow some people from your ship to lead the team."
Xiao Peng nodded after hearing this: "No problem, I have no objection even if you take Chen Cheng away!"
"Hmm?" Chen Zetao heard something was wrong. Chen Cheng was the captain of the 'Calysop'. If he was asked to leave, Xiao Peng would face a long period of vacancy - after all, finding a good captain is harder than finding a good wife.
"Brother Xiao, do you have any requests?" Chen Zetao asked.
Xiao Peng nodded and said, "I have only one request: Don't tell me that your offshore engineering company has any connection with me."
"Uh..." Chen Zetao never expected Xiao Peng to make such a request: "Brother Xiao, is there any problem?"
"What's the problem? It's a huge problem!" Xiao Peng said, feeling both amused and annoyed. "Who on earth came up with this idea? Installing a saturation diving chamber on a ship? Who on earth came up with the idea of building such a large ship? Such a genius should be dragged out and shot for five minutes!"
Chen Zetao was dumbfounded. "Brother Xiao, what's the problem? This ship is indeed China's largest and most advanced offshore vessel! The country attaches great importance to this ocean exploration company, and this is also a good opportunity to demonstrate national strength, isn't it?"
Xiao Peng sneered, "Why not send an aircraft carrier over here? That would be a better demonstration of national strength!"
Chen Zetao's face was filled with gloom. "Brother Xiao, stop making sarcastic remarks. If you have any questions, just tell me directly."
After hearing this, Xiao Peng sighed: "This ship is too big!"
The new ship that Chen Zetao got was almost twice as long as Xiao Peng's 'Calysop'!
"Is it big?" Chen Zetao said, "Not very big, about the same size as the Greek offshore engineering vessel. The two ships are of the same level."
Xiao Peng shook his head after hearing this and said, "There are so many ocean exploration companies in the world. Do you know how big the largest ship is?"
Chen Zetao asked hurriedly: "How old?"
Xiao Peng gave the answer: "It's the Calythorpe. Ocean exploration companies don't use large vessels because of cost considerations. If they find a ship that can't be salvaged, they'll hire an offshore vessel. No ocean exploration company could afford to use a large vessel directly. Even the flagship of the industry leader, Odyssey, isn't half as long as the Calythorpe. I don't know how many people laughed at me when I bought the Calythorpe."
"Isn't it good to do it in one step?" Chen Zetao asked.
Xiao Peng shook his head. "Brother Chen, have you considered the costs? A 134-meter vessel costs over 150,000 euros a day to operate! The Greek offshore vessel can be rented out for profit, but can you rent this one? Is it even possible to bring out China's most advanced saturation diving chamber for research?"
Chen Zetao explained, "We've considered the issue you mentioned. Now that the ship is docked in the Algerian port, at least we can save as much as possible on berthing fees, to just three million per year. This can reduce operating costs to a very low level."
Xiao Peng sneered, "What about going out to sea? Do you think deep-sea salvage is just about finding a sunken ship and pulling it up? Working hard for a few days, then calling it a day and counting the pay?"
"Isn't it? Haven't you always done this?" Chen Zetao asked back.
Xiao Peng laughed. "You're absolutely right! But if I can do this, can you do it? Can I take you to salvage shipwrecks every day? Then we should just go back to China! We might as well just tell everyone: we work for the country!"
Chen Zetao was silent for a moment. "As long as there's a sunken ship to salvage, we're not afraid of losing money. Let me be honest with you, your success has made some people above us jealous. If you can do it alone, how can the elites here not be able to do it? They're ready for a big move!"
Xiao Peng snapped his fingers and said, "In that case, I won't try to persuade you any further. I've already said everything I need to say!"
Chen Zetao hurriedly said, "Brother Xiao, I know you mean well, but this matter is truly not my call. Some people in China have always disagreed with the idea of 'revitalizing the nation through the ocean,' saying things like, 'If a maritime power like Britain doesn't value the ocean, why should we?' And your appearance has slapped them in the face! It's ridiculous to say it, but now it's them who are proposing to build big ships and make big money."
Xiao Peng said, "It's not their fault. People in our country are just so pragmatic. They're always two different people when they see benefits and when they don't. But they think things are too simple!"
Chen Zetao asked, "How are Moro and the others finding the sunken ship? Regardless of whether you're right or their choice is correct, we have to salvage the sunken ship quickly so people can see the results, right?"
"No news." Xiao Peng held up two fingers and said, "I'll give them two years to search for the sunken ship."
"How long?" Chen Zetao exclaimed with wide eyes.
Xiao Peng repeated, "Two years! Our country has almost no experience in commercial wealth salvage, so it's no surprise we don't know much about it. For example, everyone knew where the Titanic sank, but it took decades to find it? Of course, that's also due to the lack of technology. It wouldn't take that long now, but we'd be lucky to find it within two years."
Chen Zetao was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say, but Xiao Peng took out a small notebook from his arms, wrote a string of numbers on a blank page and handed it to Chen Zetao.
"What is this?" Chen Zetao asked after taking the note.
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