Chapter 928 The Shipowner is Unlucky
Chen Cheng asked, "Do you know the most expensive traffic jam in human history?"
Walter laughed and said, "Chen Cheng, you underestimate us. We also make a living from the sea! How could we not know this? Of course it's about the blockage of the Suez Canal, which is costing 400 million dollars an hour. The giant cargo ship 'Ever Given', owned by Evergreen Group, is inexplicably stuck in the canal."
Chen Cheng held up two fingers and said, "After the incident, the Indian captain and 25 Indian crew members of the Ever Given were immediately apprehended. According to officials from the Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given ran aground due to the captain's misoperation, which caused the bow of the ship to yaw severely. Although there were strong winds and sandstorms in the area at the time of the accident, weather factors could not have caused the ship to run aground. After all, with so many ships passing through, why was only the Ever Given in trouble?" The investigation is still ongoing, but no matter the final outcome, the Indian crew cannot escape blame.
Walter took a deep breath: "Aren't they unlucky? Can they be killed by paying them money?"
"Pay compensation?" Chen Cheng waved his hand. "Why should they pay compensation? The unlucky ones are the Japanese."
"Japanese?" Walter was confused.
Xiao Peng explained this problem: "These ships are all 'wet leased'. What does 'wet lease' mean? It means that at least one crew member on the ship is arranged by the ship owner, such as the captain. It's like you rent a car to help you transport goods, you only need to pay the freight, right? If there is a car accident during transportation, who will bear the loss? It must be the driver, the company to which the vehicle belongs, and the logistics company, right? It's like when you take a taxi, who is responsible if the taxi kills someone? From this point of view, although the 'Ever Given' that caused the blockage of the Suez Canal was delivering goods to Evergreen, Evergreen has no responsibility. Moreover, not only are they not responsible, but they are also victims. After all, in Before shipping, ships sign agreements that stipulate delivery times. If delivery is delayed within the stipulated timeframe, compensation is required. Therefore, they also have the right to seek compensation from the shipowner and insurance company. Similarly, other ships delayed due to the Suez Canal blockage could also seek compensation. Whether it's the Wakashio that caused the massive pollution in Mauritius or the Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal, the shipowners are Japanese. The captains must bear responsibility, but what can they do? Even if they were killed, they wouldn't be able to pay the huge compensation. At most, they could be arrested and imprisoned, while the shipowner and insurance company would be held liable for the damages. Who else but the Japanese are the unlucky ones?
Xiao Peng took a sip of champagne and continued, "For example, if either the 'Luna' or the 'Calypso' crashed into the dock and caused damage, who would pay for it? If such a problem occurred, Captains Chen Cheng and Ma Xiao would definitely be responsible. It was their misoperation that caused the collision, but the compensation would definitely be mine, am I right? Ultimately, how to deal with Chen Cheng and Ma Xiao is my business. Whether it's forgiving them, firing them, or sending them to prison, that's all my business. Don't you think I'm unlucky? I have to pay them such high salaries and bear the risk."
"That seems to be the case." Everyone turned to look at Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng coughed dryly twice. "Boss, there are too many applicants. I'll go back and screen them! Oh, boss, the book you asked for is here. I'll get it for you."
After a while, Chen Cheng came over with a few thick books and put them aside. "Boss, the books are here. Take your time to read them. I've already sent the phonetics textbook to your email. It's alright, I'm leaving now!"
After watching Chen Cheng leave, Walter asked curiously: "Boss, what book are you going to read?"
Xiao Peng explained, "We're going to West Africa soon, and I want to study Swahili."
Many people have not heard of Swahili, but this language is quite popular in Africa. The three major languages in Africa are Hausa, Arabic and Swahili.
Walter blinked: "The boss is worthy of being the boss, how much you love to learn! Uh, this book is a bit old!"
Xiao Peng said, "Books can be old, but knowledge cannot. Everything you learn is for yourself, so you should read it when you need to. It's not surprising that this book is a bit old. It's a Swahili textbook that I asked Chen Cheng to get for me from China."
"Then why is it so old?" Walter asked.
Xiao Peng said helplessly, "Swahili is an unpopular subject in our country. Although this language is widely used in Africa, there are only a few universities in our country that offer this major, and even fewer people study it. Sometimes students majoring in this language can only learn by borrowing each other's classes."
"Why is this happening?" Walter asked puzzled.
Xiao Peng spread his hands and said, "We don't know much about Africa. People tend to go to higher places, just like water flows upwards. People who learn languages want to go to better countries for development. That's why not many people learn it. But sometimes there are exceptions."
"Exception? What exception?" Walter asked.
Xiao Peng explained, "Tildy's hometown, Sweden, is a wonderful country, but there's only one university in our country that offers a Swedish language major. And they only admit one student per class, which happens every four years. It's like the Olympics. Studying this major means you have no seniors or juniors to look after. You can't find anyone in the entire university with the same major. Oh, and the Turkish language major is the same way. Even the textbooks are brought over by diplomatic missions visiting China."
"Why is this happening?" Walter was confused.
Xiao Peng smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe it's because of a misunderstanding. Many people in our country think that Swedes speak English. English is indeed the second language in Sweden, but Sweden is indeed a Swedish-speaking country. The same misunderstanding applies to Turkey. Many people think that Turkey speaks Arabic. Historically, Turkey did use Arabic letters for spelling, but later the Nasser regime implemented a policy of total Westernization and forced the promotion of Western culture, and also began to use Latin letters for spelling. Turkish and Arabic are two completely different languages. Well, anyway, I can say this: if I list all the minor language majors in our country, it can basically answer the question: 'How many majors in universities have you never heard of?' Okay, I'm not going to waste my time with you. I'm going back to learn Swahili. No matter what happens, don't bother me!"
As he was about to leave, Chen Cheng suddenly came back and said, "Boss, the port authorities said the EU is here to inspect the weapons system on the ship."
"Oh, forget about that, let them come!"
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