He had heard of the Suez Canal before, but had never seen it with his own eyes, the throat of the golden passage connecting Europe and Asia.

It was opened to navigation in 1869, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, making the voyage from Europe to the Indian and Pacific Oceans shorter than the circumambulation of the Cape of Good Hope.4859

m, saving fuel consumption up to 5O0~700mt, thereby greatly reducing the cost of sea transportation, but also increasing the safety and reliability of sea navigation.

The geographical location of the Suez Canal is also extremely important, the canal itself is the dividing line between the two continents of Asia and Africa, and it is also the transportation artery connecting Europe, Asia and Africa, so the Suez Canal has an extremely important shipping value, and its strategic position cannot be ignored.

The Suez Canal does not allow ships to sail alone within the canal. Ships had to be in a concentrated formation to cross the canal. Southbound formation from Port Said to Port Suez, twice a day; From Port Suez to Port Said Northward Formation, once a day. The ships of the first formation heading south must anchor at Dakuhu Lake and wait for the completion of the northbound fleet before continuing southward. The ships of the second formation going south had to dock at the western branch of the Balach channel and wait for the northbound fleet to be completed before they could continue to sail. Pilotage within the canal waters is mandatory, and all ships entering or leaving the canal waters must employ pilots.

The pilot will immediately submit the current regulations, the declaration of seaworthiness and the pilotage sheet to the master when he or she boards the leading vessel. Due to the long length of the Suez Canal, pilots are piloted in sections, and it is generally necessary to change four pilots to complete the navigation task of the whole voyage.

The tides and currents in the Suez Canal can be divided into three main sections, the first is the northern section, which is located between Port Said and the Great Bitter Lake: the tidal height of Port Said rises and falls with the tides of the Mediterranean, with a maximum tidal range of 0.5 m at high tide and a gradual decrease to the south, reaching about 0.2 m at the entrance to Lake Timsa. In this section, the maximum tidal flow velocity can reach LK

The prevailing wind is strong, and the tide may double; The maximum tide in Port Said occurs 50 mi after high and low tide

The flow direction of this section is a significant southward current in summer (July-October) and a significant northward flow in winter (December-May).

The second is the lake section, located between Lake Timsa and Lake Greater: the lakes along the canal play an important role in suppressing the effects of sudden changes in the weather, and the tidal range in Lake Dakugu can reach 0.25 m. The tide level in Lake Timsa is about 3 hours later than that of Port Tawfik, and the tide level in Lake Timsa is almost the same as that of Lake Daku.

The third is the southern sector. Located between the Port of Suez and the Great Bitter Lake: the tidal height of the Port of Suez. Together with the tides of the Red Sea, they rise and fall. At high tide, the maximum tidal range is about 1.9 m, and the tidal range gradually decreases to the north. Until the entrance to the Great and Small Bitter Lakes (Ge

e

a) to 0.15m.

The flow of the tides in the Great and Small Bitter Lakes is very large compared to the south, so the currents between Port Tawfik and Junairo are relatively strong. And it's pretty much the same.

The north of the current is called the high tide, and the south of the current is called the low tide; The maximum tide in Port Tawfik occurs 50 mi after high and low tide

At Kml59 at the entrance to the canal, the high tide usually begins 3 h after the Suez low tide and the low tide begins after 3 h after the Suez **3h.

In summer, the duration of low tide usually exceeds 6 hours, and in winter high tide becomes the mainstream, and the duration of low tide is extended during strong northerly winds. Prolonged high tide during strong southerly winds; The maximum tidal flow velocity in this area is usually about 1.5 k

, the flow rate reaches 2.5 K at high tide

； The bottom of the canal is 5~10mi later than the surface of the canal

Diversion occurs.

Hu Wenkai had nothing to do, lying in the shade at the back of the deck, flipping through the instructions for the passage of the Suez Canal, which his navy had to memorize. But after one visit, he decided that his warship would rather go around the Cape of Good Hope than through the Suez Canal. Not even a single rat could escape the canals under the control of the British Empire, and these guys took themselves too seriously.

Hu Wenkai picked up the documents required by the canal authorities handed over by the captain, and he was simply blind, even the United States, the world's police in later generations, did not ask for this.

Suez Canal special tonnage certificate and registration certificate, tank capacity plan and general layout plan, statistical declaration, ship type and cargo information, double bottom container and lower high container use declaration, declaration on ship ballast, seaworthiness declaration, the latest issued classification certificate and other information through the canal In addition, the captain must also go through the river crossing procedures according to the boarding personnel of all parties: (1) Quarantine procedures: (1) Present: rat removal or exemption certificate, departure permit, crew vaccination certificate. (2) Issuance: List of crew members, vaccination certificate of crew members, health declaration. (3) Collection: Health Pass. (4) Transfer: Quarantine pass.

(2) Pilotage procedures: (1) Present: Clock speed and ship speed comparison table. (2) Issuance: Cargo Declaration, Captain's Declaration of Arrival, Captain's Departure Statement. (3) Receive: Captain's Notes, Canal Navigation Rules, Operator's Code. (4) Transfer: quarantine pass, dangerous goods stowage certificate.

(3) Immigration procedures: (1) Present: Seafarer's card or passport. (2) Issuance: Crew List, USCIS Statement. (3) Receipt: Registration card.

(4) Customs procedures: (1) Issuance: crew list, bonded material list, food list, personal belongings list, transit cargo warehouse receipt.

(5) Measurement procedures: (1) Present: Suez Canal tonnage certificate, general layout drawing, engine room layout drawing, cabin capacity map (2) Signing: double-layer bottom warehouse use statement, ship crossing information sheet; (3) Collection: certificate and drawing IOU.

(6) Agency procedures: (1) issuance: crew list, seaworthiness statement, double bilge use statement, statistical data statement, document information sheet, ship crossing information sheet, departure agent boarding visa, transit cargo manifest, application for renting canal lights, visa to port with cable caryage, mail visa to departure agent, traffic boat visa to departure agency. (2) Collection: certificate IOU, departure permit. (3) Borrowed: Certificate of National Nationality, Suez Canal Tonnage Certificate. (4) Return: Certificate of nationality and certificate of tonnage of Suez Transport.

(7) Other procedures: (1) Caretaker or police: caretaker visa (Port of Suez), port police visa (Port Said); (2) Canal lantern manager: present the canal lantern certificate of the ship and issue the application for renting the canal lantern. (3) Electrician on board: Issue a canal lantern visa. (4) Canal Boat Manager: Issuance of Canal Boat Application; (5) Sailors of canal boats: Issue boat reports. (6) Port unmooring: board the ship (only in Port Said); (7) Junk Boat: Junk Boat Visa. According to the above procedures, a total of 20-30 people presented, 2 types of documents were borrowed, 32 types were issued, 7 types were received, and 2 types were transferred, making a total of 55 kinds of documents. It can be said that it is also the port in the world with the largest number of shore staff boarding, the most filling out of reports, and the most cumbersome procedures.

Hu Wenkai smiled bitterly, but the captain came over to comfort him and said, "Boss, this rule has existed for more than ten years, even the Japanese and Americans are allowed to abide by it. This is Europe's defense against Asia's infectious diseases. ”

Hu Wenkai had been staying here for a day because he had been blocked, and he said angrily: "Let the fart, it's purely to break down the various charges into various subtleties, do you calculate how much it will cost us to pass through the Suez Canal for a freighter of several thousand tons?" The British calculated that the price was one-half of the cost of fuel for a freighter to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope. ”

"One of the busiest waterways in the world, the Suez Canal, located on the west side of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, is more than 160 kilometers long and opened in 1869 to connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. It is one of the most frequently used routes in the world. ”

"Britain doesn't want to make this money? That's impossible. This country is essentially pirates, and robbing money is their specialty. ”

Hu Wenkai muttered: "The first time our warship passed through Suez was the Haiqi ship of the Great Qingshui Division. ”

"If Nima weren't for the incompetence of the Qing government, the entire Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean would now be our inland lake, and Lao Tzu would dare to collect money when he passed through the Suez Canal?"

Complaining is complaining, everyone knows that the rules of the old British Empire are still enforced.

According to the regulations, after paying the money, you must arrive at the designated anchorage before 23 o'clock the day before to join the formation, and the time to enter the canal channel from the reporting line is unified at 4 a.m. on the 9th, and the speed of crossing the river is 7.6 knots.

At 4 a.m., the freighter reported to the Canal Authority that it had arrived at the reporting line and asked about its next move. At this time, the other party instructed the freighter to arrive at the designated light float, use communication equipment to contact the pilot in a certain channel, and inform the location of the pilot ladder.

Hu Wenkai lay in the cabin and arranged for the special service members to take pictures of every part of the canal with their cameras, wash them and take them back to the naval base for classes.

Along the way, you can see some characteristic landmarks on both sides of the canal. However, the surrounding area is inaccessible, which has a lot to do with the local tropical desert climate. The low rainfall and sparse vegetation give it a desolate aesthetic, which is a little different from the "canal" I imagined before.

When the ship sailed to Ismailia, the captain and interpreter escorted the second pilot off the ship, and the third pilot took turns to take up his post. At about 15 o'clock in the afternoon, the freighter reached the waters near Port Said, which meant that we had sailed out of the Suez Canal.

Romantic Mediterranean, here we come! The crew stood on the deck and waved their arms to salute the pilots.

Hu Wenkai knows that the hot climate has been left behind, followed by the typical Mediterranean climate, the summer temperature is quite different from the coastal and inland, the coastal is affected by the cold ocean current, the temperature is lower, the hottest month is below 22 °C, the air is relatively humid, foggy, called the cool summer type.

The young captain walked into Hu Wenkai's cabin and said, "Boss, the next voyage should be very safe, and we are about to reach Europe, and the pirates in this area have become extinct." ”

"Be careful of the 10,000-year-old ship, the pirates are supported by the state, and the night sentry can be reduced by half, but the ban cannot be relaxed."

In these days, there was no safety to say about sailing in the sea, only a smooth arrival at the port, otherwise no one could say.

The cabin swept away the sweltering and humid climate of the Arabian Sea, and the dry feeling in the air made him feel very good.

"Boss, about forty hours more sailing, we can reach the end Istanbul."