Chapter 696 You’re Fired
Xiao Peng finally saw Ahmedov. He didn't know what he thought of first: the comedy actor Pan Changjiang. The two were practically identical, the only difference being Pan Changjiang still had hair, while Ahmedov had a standard Mediterranean hairstyle, stubbornly combed to the side to cover his scalp. Xiao Peng thought he might as well have just shaved his head!
No, I can't mention baldness. Xiao Peng is also bald now...
That damn girl! She hit people with a wrench. How rude!
"Mr. Xiao, did I hear correctly?" Akhmedov interrupted Xiao Peng's thoughts: "Are you saying that you plan to install marine engineering equipment on this ship?"
Xiao Peng nodded. "That's the plan, but I'm afraid we can't install a heavy crane. At least the ROV support equipment needs to be installed. The ship's own winch also needs to be replaced. The small yacht cabin at the stern can be improved."
Before Akhmedov could answer, someone next to him suddenly snorted coldly.
Xiao Peng and a few others looked in the direction of the sound. The person who snorted coldly was wearing a white uniform. His name was Conti Douglas, and he was the captain of the ship.
Xiao Peng frowned slightly: "Mr. Douglas, is there any problem?"
Douglas glanced at Xiao Peng and shook his head: "No problem."
Xiao Peng smiled and said, "We'll be working together in the future, so if you have anything to say, just say it directly. After all, we've just started getting along, and you don't know me well yet. I don't like to hide things, and the more straightforward you are, the happier I am."
"Really?" Conti-Douglas was skeptical.
Kasim on the side raised his hand and said, "I can testify."
Several people looked at Ka Xin, knowing that he was Xiao Peng's bodyguard. They had never heard of a bodyguard interrupting the boss. Seeing Xiao Peng standing there as if nothing had happened, and his friends showing no reaction, they were now certain that Ka Xin was not lying.
Conti-Douglas coughed dryly and said, "Boss Xiao, I don't think it's right to do this to you! This is a luxury yacht, not an offshore engineering vessel. It's for pleasure. Trying to install offshore equipment on it is, at best, a waste of resources, and at worst, a devaluation."
"Loss of value?" Xiao Peng was stunned.
Conti-Douglas nodded and said, "Indeed, I really cannot understand your Chinese way of thinking on this point. Boss, as a captain with 27 years of experience, I have been serving on various yachts. All the crew members on this ship are the best in the industry. It can give you the best enjoyment instead of being used for work. And..."
Seeing that Conti-Douglas seemed to be hesitant to speak, Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Go on."
Conti-Douglas said: "Our crew is the best yacht service crew, not an offshore vessel crew. If you change this ship into an offshore vessel, we will not be able to cooperate. This is not what we should do and is not within our job scope."
Xiao Peng suddenly realized: "So there's a chain of contempt among the crew!"
Conti-Douglas raised his head proudly.
There is also a hierarchy of contempt among crew members. At the lowest end are fishing boats that "depend on the weather for their livelihood", followed by marine crew members on cargo ships and oil tankers; the next level up are cruise ships, and the highest level is private expedition ships.
Moreover, there is a chain of contempt among ships of the same type. For example, the crew of large-tonnage cargo ships and oil tankers look down on the crew of small cargo ships; the staff of luxury cruise ships look down on mid-quality cruise ships and mass cruise ships; small cruise ships look down on medium-sized cruise ships and medium-sized cruise ships look down on large cruise ships.
That’s right, the smaller the cruise ship, the cooler it is.
Cruise travel isn't a mainstream form of travel in China, so many people don't know it. The world's top four cruise lines operate small ships, catering to the wealthy, the powerful, and the well-connected. These small ships carry no more than 400 passengers, with most under 249. Crew outnumbers passengers at a ratio of 1.5 to 1, with an average of one and a half crew members per person. This allows for superior service and access to more beautiful destinations, something that larger ships carrying thousands simply can't achieve.
But no matter what, at the top of the contempt chain is definitely private expedition ships, that is, large private yachts.
Anyone who owns a ship like this is a well-off person. Working on such a ship pays well, the working environment is good, and it's relaxing—after all, rich people don't go out to sea all the time, so they are definitely the envy of their peers! Just like the crew members like Conti-Douglas, they are definitely at the top of the contempt chain.
If this ship were to be equipped with marine engineering equipment, Douglas and his friends’ lives would undergo a qualitative change!
They certainly don't have it as easy as they used to - dirty offshore crews adding to their workload? What a lunatic!
Conti Douglas said: "Boss Xiao, being a crew member is never an easy job. We can only do what we are good at."
He was right in saying this.
Although the income of seafarers is relatively high compared to land-based industries, it is not an easy job.
Just like on Xiao Peng's "Calypsope," the work pressure isn't high. The crew spends every day playing games and billiards in the gym or game room. The salary is high and the food is good. Does this mean it's a good job?
Not really. While they earn high salaries, they also have to put in a fair amount of work. It's common for people like Xiao Peng to spend months without docking and unable to return home. Those sailing the deep seas are even tougher. There are no days off on board; every day at sea is work. And the work schedule can be brutal. For example, the third mate's shifts are from 12:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. and then from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. How can you sleep? And when the weather gets bad, there's no rest!
Xiao Peng wanted to change the shift schedule, but was unanimously opposed by everyone on board. Chen Cheng said that this was the most scientific way to schedule shifts on board. As the saying goes, different jobs are like different worlds, and Xiao Peng was helpless and could only let everyone do what they wanted.
But despite his sighs and agreement, Xiao Peng still said to Conti-Douglas, "In that case... I won't hire you!"
"What?" Conti-Douglas was dumbfounded.
Xiao Peng repeated, "I said I won't hire your crew anymore."
"Boss Xiao! You just told me to tell the truth!" said Conti Douglas.
Xiao Peng spread his hands: "Although you may be the best, you don't meet my requirements. You just called me Boss Xiao, right? What is a boss? It's someone who tells you that you are indispensable while looking for someone to replace you. Walter, the rest of you watch the people on the boat get off! Don't leave any one behind!"
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