Without a storm, a sail is nothing but a rag.
Ben stood on the dock at Glasgow's Govan Shipyard and recited a line from Hugo's poem.
Before him and Song Tianyao lay several rusty cargo ships. Compared to the brand-new, ten-thousand-ton cargo ships waiting to be launched and tested in the distance, these ships were much smaller, with a tonnage of only a few thousand. They were now moored in a corner, left to be slowly corroded by marine life.
"Angie said to me, 'You seem to be doing...'" Ban gestured with his hand on his slightly balding head. "... that kind of flashy wig business. Do you need to transport the wigs yourself?"
Song Tianyao was very interested in these ships, but not so much in the 10,000-ton cargo ships. He walked along the boardwalk and even to the workers' passageway on the side of the ship trough, carefully observing the scrap metal.
"Why were these ships abandoned here?" Song Tianyao turned around and asked his future father-in-law.
Ban shrugged and walked over. "These ships have been sitting here for six or seven years. After the outbreak of the European War, the shipping industry entered its golden age. Speculators eager to make a fortune rushed into shipyards with cash in hand, ordering ships of all models. At that time, shipyards had to produce not only civilian ships but also military orders. For example, the Austin Shipyard where I worked, although it couldn't produce large vessels like aircraft carriers, still had orders for smaller ships like landing craft and rescue boats. So many civilian orders were even scheduled until 1958. Unexpectedly, Hitler was quickly defeated. Without the backdrop of war, shipping prices began to fall again, and shipyards started producing larger cargo ships. Some people couldn't wait until 1958, so they broke their contracts, and that's how these ships came about. These are relatively old models. We started receiving orders for production around 1940. In between, the shipyard had to produce military orders, so production was delayed until around 1946. After that, they sat here."
A thick anchor chain stretched across the passageway. Song Tianyao lightly stepped on it twice. "Are they planning to sell this scrap metal?"
"Of course, but nobody wants to buy them. After all, Japan and Germany ships are cheaper. Can you imagine? Japan, such a small country, has over seventy shipyards. They can build any kind of ship, and their prices are much lower than Britain's. In the past two years, many of our orders have been snatched away by Japan." Ban touched the cold anchor chain and said, "I don't understand. Wasn't Japan defeated? We, the Allies, won, didn't we? Why are those defeated countries able to steal business from us victors?"
Song Tianyao didn't want to discuss such complex international political issues with Ban. He wasn't actually very interested in the shipping industry. It was just that after learning that Lei Yingdong's cargo ship had been sunk, he thought about the possibility of conflict between Hong Kong and Shanghai people. In such a moment of conflict, he always had to express his attitude and stance.
Ban was telling the truth. For cargo ships of the same tonnage, Japan shipyards were half the price of Britain. This difference was almost entirely due to labor costs. A junior worker in Britain shipyard earned twelve pounds a week, while a junior worker in some Japan shipyards earned only four to five pounds a week.
Song Tianyao suffers from thalassophobia, and can only do fitness activities like swimming in a pool. Let alone becoming a ship owner, going out to sea, and learning professional knowledge such as flag signals, light signals, speed, routes, fuel consumption, and freight rates. His maximum tolerance for ships is going out to sea to fish on Shek Chi-yik's yacht. If it weren't for Shek Chi-yik, he wouldn't even want to ride on a small boat like a yacht in the near sea.
However, ever since he thought about the conflict between Shanghai people and Hong Kong, he realized that if he wanted to gain some benefits, he would naturally have to put in some effort. He knew nothing about professional knowledge such as air routes, but he had his own judgment on the world situation.
The sounds of war are the best news for shipping companies and ship owners.
Regional wars like the Korean War don't actually have a huge impact on the shipping industry. They might make some people rich, but for the real Major Shipowners, they have no interest in sending their fleets to sail around Asia.
During this time, Song Tianyao tried hard to recall his memories of his previous life and finally remembered a war event that was not a war but had an absolute impact on the entire world: the Egypt takeover of the Suez Canal.
After Egypt reclaimed the Suez Canal, it listed almost all capitalist countries as unfriendly nations, prohibiting their merchant ships from passing through the Suez Canal. Since 80% or more of the world's merchant ships are owned by capitalist countries, the inability to pass through the Suez Canal meant that these merchant ships could only take the Cape of Good Hope Route, circumnavigating the entire Africa.
Taking a detour means a sharp increase in shipping costs.
Even now, if the Suez Canal is not closed, a large oil tanker of more than 100,000 tons can earn more than a million dollars a single trip from the Middle East to Europe. If the Suez Canal were closed, the freight costs would skyrocket to a terrifying figure.
Thinking of the Suez Canal, Song Tianyao felt that even if he had thalassophobia, he could still put some effort into shipping.
It's not about the seemingly high shipping costs in the short term; when doing business, you must think long-term.
"I want to buy this ship," Song Tianyao said to Ban, pointing to the cargo ship parked in front of him.
Ban looked at the ship, then at Song Tianyao: "Kid, although I'm from Glasgow, I still think you should buy it in Japan."
Song Tianyao blinked. "I'll buy it in Japan, but not now. After all, if I buy it in Japan now, the Japan won't give me any preferential treatment, but it's different with the Britain."
"I can help you find out." Ban accompanied Song Tianyao toward the cars at the dock.
In the distance, several Asian men were standing guard outside their old Dixi. When they saw the two approaching, one of the Asian men even helped open the car door.
"You're a legitimate businessman, right, Song?" Ban couldn't help but confirm with Song Tianyao again when he saw the people from the Civil and Martial Association.
Song Tianyao nodded. "I guarantee I'm a legitimate businessman."
Watching his future father-in-law get into the car with a somewhat uneasy expression, Song Tianyao looked at the Asian man who helped open the door: