Lin Zhichao and Feng Yongfa converged and came to the London headquarters of Xianke Petroleum Company, where they met Wei Long, the international chartering department, again.

It can be seen that Weilong has been busy with the shortage of oil tankers recently.

When he saw Lin Zhichao in person, the joy on his face flashed.

At the same time, Weilong also seemed to forget the unpleasantness of the last time, and enthusiastically stretched out his hand and said: "Mr. Lin, Manager Feng, welcome to Xianke Oil, I think the two of you will definitely return home today." ”

At this time, it has been more than ten days since the blockade of the Suez Canal, and the world's merchant ships are either waiting for high prices in the port or making a U-turn at the entrance of the Suez Canal, and the capacity is in chaos.

However, it is just very chaotic, and the whole maritime system is in a mess.

"I see the enthusiasm of Mr. Weilong and hope that we can reach a cooperation agreement today. To be honest, I regret that we didn't reach a cooperation last time. Thankfully, we sat down together again so quickly. ”

Wei Long's embarrassment disappeared in a flash, but he couldn't care so much about it at this time!

"Definitely, this way, please!"

Subsequently, the two sides sat in the conference room and officially entered the negotiations.

Weilong couldn't wait to ask, "Mr. Lin, how many oil tankers do you still have to lease?" ”

This is so crucial for him!

If it was one, he might be a little disappointed and not be able to quench his thirst at all.

However, he also exposed his negotiating confidence, and even his subordinates were a little stunned.

Lin Zhichao said: "I don't know how much capacity Xianke Oil Company needs? ”

The wind is light and the clouds are light, which is higher and which is lower, at a glance.

Wei Long couldn't care about that anymore, and said directly: "The more the merrier!" ”

At this point in the negotiation, Global Shipping has completely grasped the initiative.

Lin Zhichao said: "We have three 56,000-ton oil tankers that have sailed into the port of the Gulf of Aden and can take on the capacity at any time. ”

The port of the Gulf of Aden has been moored with many ships, some waiting for transportation tasks and others waiting for buyers to buy.

Wei Long was overjoyed, and then said: "That's great, we need to rent them, Mr. Lin said a cooperative plan!" ”

At this time, international freight rates have skyrocketed by about four times, and there is still the potential to rise, of course, this can only be used as a reference.

Only the cargo on the cargo ship of the fixed route is charged according to the weight of the cargo, like the global shipping charter ship, which is charged according to the whole ship, how much is a trip.

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao said: "It will be very cost-effective for you to rent our large oil tanker." So I'll start by proposing the best option: a new 56,000-ton ship that will be leased to you for three years for $7 million a year."

When this plan was said, Weilong instinctively said: "Why do we want to rent for three years at such a high price, can Suez still block it for three years?" ”

He didn't say anything about shipbuilding, after all, even if it takes three years to build a ship, it can't alleviate the role of the Suez Canal.

Lin Zhichao said: "If the current one-way short-term rental cooperation method requires 2.5 million US dollars per trip, you will probably need to spend more than 12 million US dollars in a year. It doesn't matter how long the high shipping costs last, then you won't be able to make a profit. ”

Now oil tankers are grabbing money, and a new oil tanker of 20,000 tons costs more than one million dollars a trip; The 56,000-ton oil tanker in his hand is the most cost-effective way to lease it. Nearly three times the shipping power, only twice the price.

The important thing is that the ships are all new.

Next, there is the negotiation drama, where both sides convince each other and settle accounts for each other.

Of course, global shipping has advantages in all aspects, the first is the large ship, new ships, and the second is that the quotation is lower than that of European and American shipowners.

Finally, within two hours, the two parties reached an agreement on a charter agreement - three new tankers, each with a three-year lease of $6.8 million a year.

As soon as the contract is signed, transportation can be arranged immediately.

The annual rent of 6.8 million yuan, with the low-cost operating expenses of global shipping, can probably earn 450~5 million US dollars, which is exactly three years to earn back two new ships.

And in any case, it is much more cost-effective for Clam Oil to lease their ships than for those small ships of twenty or thirty thousand tons.

Three days later.

Lin Zhichao came to the headquarters of Exxon Petroleum Company in New York, at present, Exxon Petroleum Company charters a total of seven ships around the world, including three new ships of 56,000 tons and four second-hand ships of 1.5~16,000 tons.

Of course, ships of tens of thousands of tons can pass through the Cape of Good Hope, but they are almost resistant to bad weather, but as long as they are careful, there is no problem. Otherwise, a large number of merchant ships around the world will have to be 'scrapped'.

Niu Deng also warmly welcomed the arrival of Lin Zhichao, and the cooperation between the two has always been pleasant, and a good cooperative relationship has been established from the first time. Over the past two years, Global Shipping has completed its transportation tasks excellently, saving a lot of money for Exxon Oil.

Now, Exxon Oil Company will firmly grasp the seven ships of the global shipping company, and has proposed to sign long-term contracts many times.

It's just that now that shipping freight rates have skyrocketed, Niu Dengdu sighed that Lin Zhichao's luck is really good!

"Mr. Lin, I heard that you have signed a contract with Clam Oil, congratulations!" Newden said in a friendly manner.

"Thank you, Mr. Newden, for your introduction, otherwise it would have been difficult for us to break into other oil companies." Lin Zhichao said.

Introductions certainly have a role, but they are not absolute.

But Lin Zhichao is also pulling in the relationship between the two sides, so there is nothing wrong with bragging.

After some politeness, everyone sat down in the conference room.

After talking for a while, Lin Zhichao proposed the same cooperation conditions, that is, the new ship was signed for three years, with an annual rent of 7 million US dollars.

As for the four second-hand ships, Lin Zhichao's plan is: a three-year lease period, each with an annual rent of 1.8 million US dollars, and four ships are 7.2 million US dollars.

Four used boats for rent, absolutely cheap!

For Greek shipowners, a ship costs at least $3 million a year, of course, it has to be calculated as a one-way short-term charter.

After thinking about it, Niu Deng said, "Do you have to rent for a long time?" ”

Lin Zhichao immediately said easily: "One-way short-term rental is also OK!" However, I can only give you a 10% discount on the shipping cost according to the market price. In this way, I calculate, you need about 12 million US dollars to lease a new ship of 56,000 tons a year. In the future, we can all cooperate with long-term rental, and you can save a lot of costs. ”

The next wave of market was the closure of the Suez Canal in June 1967, which lasted for eight years. At that time, Lin Zhichao does not need to pursue the right time, and it doesn't matter if some ships are half a year late.

What's more, after the new ship is launched, the charter time is all up to him;

And, when the new ship will be built and when it will be launched, Lin Zhichao can grasp the best time.

For example, 1959~1961 was a small cold winter in shipping, so Lin Zhichao could build a large number of ships (made in Japan) at that time, and the price was much cheaper; After the launch of the new ship in 1962, it was leased out for five or six years, just in time; If it had been launched in 1960, it would have been leased for three years and then renewed for four or five years.

Moreover, after the fleet is large, it is not necessary to catch up with good prices, only to catch up with most of the good markets, and you can also confuse partners.

After communicating with his colleagues, Niu Deng said: "This three-year lease period has an element of gambling, will the Suez Canal be opened soon, and once it is opened soon, won't we suffer a lot?" ”

Lin Zhichao said: "This is originally an element of gambling, if you take a one-way short-term rental, after a year of rent, if the market is still there, Mr. Niu Deng will not regret it." To be honest, because we have a very good cooperative relationship, many oil companies want to charter our ship, and I don't even consider it. Four small second-hand oil tankers, almost a big discount, I believe you can also see it! ”

Indeed, a 15,000-ton second-hand oil tanker was bought for $1.2 million at the beginning, and now it is more than 2 million yuan a year for others to rent, and everyone is rushing to lease it.

Newden said: "There is really no problem with the rental of second-hand ships! Three new ships still need to be cheaper, we're all old friends"

He played the emotional card!

Lin Zhichao is naturally not tough, and Niu Deng is still very good, so in the end, a 56,000-ton oil tanker only costs 6.6 million US dollars a year, and the rent of one is 200,000 US dollars a year cheaper than that of Clam Company.

Everyone was happy, and people from Exxon such as Newden felt that they were 'very satisfied with the negotiations'!

At the end of August, Lin Zhichao returned to Hong Kong.

This overseas trip took 20 days, and he completed a total of six "three-year long-term leases" with six companies: Xianke Oil in Europe, Exxon Oil and Texaco Oil in the United States, Yamaguchi Steamship, Japanese Steamship, and Miko Steamship in Japan.

All 14 oil tankers have completed long-term charter contracts (580,000 tons of deadweight), and can make a profit of more than 45 million US dollars a year in the next three years.

Of the 68 ships (700,000 dwt), 45 have completed three-year charters, and will remain at an average annual level of $40 million for the next three years.

In other words, in the next three years, global shipping can make a profit of more than 85 million US dollars per year, becoming the biggest winner of the 'Suez Canal crisis'.

With a full 260 million US dollars, and may even earn more (operating costs are not necessarily), these funds will become the core funds for global shipping to build new ships in 1959~1961.

In his previous life, Bao Yugang had a fleet of 3.5 million tons of deadweight in 1968, with a total value of $300 million.

And now, Lin Zhichao can achieve it nearly ten years ahead of schedule, and of course, he will also enter this industry for five years.

Importantly, Lin Zhichao will definitely choose to take out a loan to build ships, and in the early sixties, his fleet could reach a market value of more than $500 million.

Meeting rooms for global shipping.

Lin Zhichao looked at a group of managers who had beaten chicken blood, and there was no surprise in his heart, the recent rise in shipping prices is a thing that has been recorded in history and inspired the hearts of the industry.

The advance layout of global shipping is just to maximize benefits, such as the ten new oil tankers, which will make half of the country's contributions.

After all, second-hand ships and freighters are old ships, and they are still freighters, and where there are oil tankers to make money, there is a big difference.

"The contract is basically signed, but then it's time for us to fulfill our obligations, and the Cape of Good Hope is windy and the voyage is so long, so we have to think about safety, technical issues, and the emotional problems of the seafarers. Now, let's have our opinions! ”

In fact, Hong Kong's seafarers are the most able to endure hardship.

At present, some European and American seafarers have complained about the poor conditions of the ships built before or during World War II, and have protested to the government, or demanded a wage increase.

Take the Victory freighter, for example, it is a paradise for Hong Kong seafarers, with cabins for rest and entertainment for all kinds of crews; But for American seafarers, they have gradually become the object of complaints and protests.

In the early fifties, it was already popular in Europe and the United States to build 'semi-automated ships', firstly to reduce the number of seafarers, and secondly, to make them easier.

Hong Kong seafarers are tired and bitter no matter how tired and bitter the environment is, they can do it, and they are also helpless to complain.

Of course, there is a difference between Hong Kong seafarers:

The seafarers of the other fleet, who were not very well paid, had harsh working conditions, had little prospects, and indulged in gambling and art academies when they came ashore;

Seafarers of Global Shipping have about 30% higher salaries and benefits, one long vacation (30 days) a year, and some group activities (watching movies, group blind dates, sports) when they go ashore, which can improve their understanding of seafarers; What's more, Lin Zhichao strictly prohibits all seafarers from gambling, and the harmful slogans promoting gambling are clearly visible on the ship.

In the conference room, everyone spoke freely, and soon the safety and technical issues were discussed successfully.

Only everyone didn't mention the emotional problems of seafarers, after all, this thing needs to be considered? Aren't the benefits of global shipping good enough?

The most important thing is that the boss doesn't mention it, and everyone doesn't want to mention it.

In the end, it was Lin Zhichao who said: "All staff and seafarers' salaries will be increased by 10%, and then we will consider extending the number of annual leave days for seafarers. You can formulate the specific plan, provided that it does not affect the company's operation. ”

Everyone was overjoyed and said in unison, "Yes, boss." ”

In fact, the seafarers on the oil tanker are the hardest, because even if they have annual leave, there is no way to repair the leave if the ship does not pass through Hong Kong, and the air ticket is so expensive and unrealistic; Therefore, Global Shipping promised to provide air tickets to fly back to Hong Kong after three years. As for the three-year vacation, it can be converted into overtime pay.

Of course, people in this era can endure hardships, and many people are willing to work for three years, after all, ordinary seafarers can also get an income of 8000~10000, and they have to work in Hong Kong for seven or eight years, or even ten years.

The meeting ended on a happy note.

There is no reason to be unhappy about all salary increases. (End of chapter)