Xiang Yang found Wu Shiwen and He Mingde and explained his purpose.
Wu Shiwen immediately became excited, "That's great, Brother Yang, with your participation, I will be much more confident about this trip."
Xiang Yang smiled and said, "We still need to make more preparations. For example, have you contacted the icebreaker?"
An icebreaker is a ship that breaks up ice on the water surface to create a channel for the ships behind it.
Xiang Yang's ocean-going fishing vessel has a certain icebreaking capability, but it cannot be used directly as an icebreaker as that would cause too much damage to the keel.
"We've got in touch. What do you think of this ship?" He Mingde took out his cell phone, opened a picture and handed it to Xiang Yang.
The picture shows a strange ship that is short and wide.
The reason why it is strange is that its width is almost as long as its length.
In addition, the bottom of the ship is upturned both forward and backward.
"Will it come to Qinglongwan to meet us, or should we go find them?" Xiang Yang asked.
"Of course we went to find them. This is an icebreaker, powered by coal-fired boilers and diesel engines, and can only be propelled by power. It takes an unknown amount of coal or diesel to travel from Antarctica to Qinglongwan. I have agreed with the other party that the rental price is 40,000 yuan per day. We will rent it for two days in total, and we will pay the 80,000 yuan. On the day we enter Antarctica, we need them to break the ice on the water surface for us and open up a waterway to ensure that we can enter the frozen Antarctic waters smoothly. When we come back, we will rent it for another day and let them guide us out." He Mingde said.
Xiang Yang blinked, "What the hell?"
Forty thousand a day
It wouldn't cost millions to buy a ship of this size, right
In fact, modern icebreakers are important equipment for polar exploration and fishing. In addition to breaking ice, they also undertake tasks such as transportation, rescue and marine exploration. The cost of an icebreaker is more than ten times that of a fishing boat of the same size.
The photo Xiang Yang was looking at now showed a hybrid power system of a boiler and a diesel engine. The outer shell was made of a five-centimeter-thick steel plate, and inside it was supported by dense steel components. The waterline of the hull was reinforced with impact-resistant alloy steel. It could meet many special needs and was very expensive, costing 40,000 yuan a day, which was already earned by Chen Qingsheng through his previous connections.
The main reason why the rental fee of this icebreaker is so expensive is that it also has the mission of rescue.
He Mingde is his employer.
If something happens to He Mingde in the polar regions, they are obliged to go out and rescue him. This is equivalent to an insurance premium. If nothing happens, the money will be gone. If something happens, this money can save lives.
"The icebreaker will only be rented for two days. What will happen after we arrive in the Antarctic waters? Do we no longer need an icebreaker in the Antarctic waters? Or will we only stay in the Antarctic waters for two days and then return immediately?" Xiang Yang asked.
"The Antarctic waters are not frozen everywhere. When we enter, we are mainly afraid that the waterway will be covered by ice. It is too troublesome to detour. After entering the Antarctic Circle, we can slowly look for sea areas that are not covered by ice and snow to sail in. When we come back, it is the same as when we went there." He Mingde said.
Xiang Yang lowered his head, looking like he was troubled.
He finally understood why so many fishermen, knowing that Antarctica has such rich fishery resources, would rather take the risk of fishing in the open sea than go to Antarctica to fish.
The cost of fishing is really not something that everyone can afford.
Of course, the harsh environment is definitely the main factor. Working in such an icy and snowy environment, with ice chips all over your saliva, how many people can stand that environment
After careful discussion with He Mingde and Wu Shiwen, Xiang Yang began to engage in intensive preparations.
Although Chen Qingsheng said that there was no need to prepare too much food when going to Antarctica, Xiang Yang still purchased a large amount of food on the ship.
At the hotel, Xiang Yang signed contracts with Li Chao and Zhang Qicheng respectively, and then Xiang Yang asked Zhang Qicheng that if he was not back when the pagoda was burned, Zhang Qicheng would be in charge of the overall planning alone.
After arranging all the matters in Qinglongwan temporarily, going to Antarctica to catch shrimps was also put on the agenda.
“Woo—”
“Woo—”
On this day, just after dawn, accompanied by two loud whistles, two large ships set sail almost at the same time, departing from Qinglongwan Wharf and heading due south.
At the dock, Yu Xiang and Fourth Grandpa were chewing on fried dough sticks and looking at the direction where the two large ships disappeared. They felt very upset.
Xiang Yang and Wu Shiwen are going to Antarctica, and Yu Xiang also wants to go with them.
But their ship is too small. Let alone going to places like Antarctica, even going to the high seas would be risky.
"Captain, should we follow the route straight to Antarctica, or should we cast a few nets along the way?" Chen Qingsheng felt like he was back home when he went out to sea. He couldn't wait to cast his nets as soon as the ship set sail.
"Don't be in a hurry to cast the net, but keep the sonar detection system on. If you encounter a large school of fish during the voyage, don't miss it." Xiang Yang was very well prepared for this voyage. He had prepared three months' worth of supplies on the ship and was not in a hurry at all.
Chen Qingsheng nodded, "Yes, there's no rush. This trip will take at least two months. Even if we catch some fish now, they will be frozen in the freezer for two months. They will not be fresh when we get back and we won't be able to sell them at a good price. We should wait until the return trip to see if there is any space on the boat and then cast our nets accordingly."
Xiang Yang smiled slightly. There were a large number of Antarctic krill. Basically, as long as he encountered a not-too-small group of krill, it would be enough to fill the entire ship. He had made a special trip so far this time, so naturally he hoped to return with a full load, without any empty spaces on the ship.
Xiang Yang and Wu Shiwen planned two routes for this trip. One was to go south through the South China Sea, cross the Strait of Malacca, go east along the east coast of Australia, pass through the New Zealand Sea, then cross the South Pacific and pass through the Strait of Magellan to reach the Great Wall Station.
The alternative route is to cross the Strait of Malacca, pass through Indonesia, stop at Fremantle for fresh water and supplies, and then cross the westerly belt to reach Zhongshan Station.
The specific route to be taken will depend on whether we can get news from the icebreaker He Mingde has contacted after we pass the Strait of Malacca. Various weather changes may affect the change of the route.
Xiang Yang's preference is naturally to go to the Great Wall Station via the east coast of Australia and New Zealand. He has not yet given up the idea of fishing for Antarctic deep-sea crayfish in New Zealand waters. Antarctic deep-sea crayfish is one of New Zealand's seafood delicacies, and Xiang Yang has long heard of its fame.
Of course, Xiang Yang is not sure which specific route to take. He has to wait until he passes Malacca Seafood before he can be sure.