1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2480
The expansion strategy adopted by Haihan is completely different from any Han regime in history, and the emphasis on sea control can be regarded as the first in history.In addition to having a powerful naval fleet, the shipping system throughout East Asia is also regarded as an important part of Haihan's sea power.

Industrial progress led to the rapid improvement of shipbuilding technology, and the development of many overseas colonial areas brought greater demand for freight. Large cargo sailing ships with a displacement of more than [-] tons began to become standard configurations on popular routes during this period. .Powerful shipping companies have invested heavily in the purchase of large cargo ships to enhance their profitability on long-distance routes.

Such transportation demand in turn stimulated the development of the shipbuilding industry. According to statistics at the end of 1648, there were as many as 74 large and small shipyards in the Haihan area, of which nearly a quarter of the shipyards had It has improved the technical ability to build thousand-ton sailboats.

At this time, there are more than [-] shipping companies and shipping companies that have been registered with the Ministry of Commerce and are in operation. These institutions are like small blood vessels in a huge body, responsible for transporting the materials needed from all over Haihan and personnel delivery in place.

However, with more and more people and funds pouring into the shipping industry, the competitive pressure of this industry is also growing rapidly, especially in the large trading ports along the coast of the East Asian continent, Haihan Shipping has almost occupied the shipping industry. Market dominance, external competition is also gradually evolving into a situation of involution.

However, the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Commerce are still very optimistic about the development prospects of the shipping industry. Officials believe that the development speed of Haihan is enough to create a larger shipping market, and the demand for shipping capacity will not reach the upper limit in the short term.As long as the transportation capacity can be allocated reasonably and the business scope can be expanded, the shipping industry still has great room for development.

Yu Feng and Liang Liping's vision is naturally much stronger than their counterparts in this era. Although they started operating the shipping company a little later, they seized a rare opportunity in the initial stage and successfully monopolized the company through targeted business methods. The exclusive transportation business of overseas oil fields.

However, the operation of Yu’s Shipping Company will not be limited to this industry. The couple’s views are consistent with the official’s. They believe that expanding the scope of business is the way to develop, especially for those companies that have not been targeted by big shipping lines yet, but will have potential in the future. Areas with excellent development prospects should be deployed in advance, so as to take the lead in the long-term competition in the future.

In the eyes of the couple, Sumatra is exactly such an area.The Sunda Strait and the Strait of Malacca, the most important sea lanes connecting the East and the West, are located at the southeast and northeast of Sumatra Island respectively.Although the development level of this area is still quite low and there is not much shipping demand, it will definitely become one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world in the future.

The western colonists paid much more attention to these two key waterways than the eastern countries. Portugal and the Netherlands built the city of Malacca and the city of Batavia respectively near the two waterways, so as to realize the control of these key waterways. control.Although Haihan has also built several colonies in this area, but because it is far away from the mainland and there are no high-value specialties, the development level has not been ideal, and the demand for shipping is not large. Naturally, there are no shipping companies willing to do so. Invest here.

The machinery factory operated by Yu Feng has switched to producing power equipment such as internal combustion engines and generators, and the development and application of engines are closely related to petrochemical projects. He basically knew the relevant information about the development of the Dumai Oilfield project at the first time .Both the couple believed that this was an excellent opportunity for their own shipping company to enter this area, so they decisively invested a lot of money, and took the initiative to undertake the business of transporting various petrochemical equipment to this area at the early stage of project development, and promised to set up a fixed route To meet the local future freight demand.

The shipping company has invested heavily in this route. It is unlikely that they will make much money just by transporting petrochemical equipment and products. They may even have to pay for this route to maintain operations. friendship, and give shipping companies special treatment.

Yu's Shipping Company obtained not only the exclusive right to use the cargo terminal in Dumai area and the official office, but also the permission to call at all ports under the colonial rule of Xingdao and engage in business activities, as well as The Colonial Area Management Committee is the only qualification to designate an official material carrier.Even within the scope of more than 200 shipping companies across the country, this is a rare special treatment.

Of course, being able to give such special treatment was not only because Yu's Shipping Company took the initiative to offer an olive branch. Luo Jie and Tan Juren actually had other plans.They hope to establish a good personal relationship with Yu Feng through this kind of cooperation in the trade field, and then buy products from Yu Feng's machinery factory.

Due to the limited production capacity, the engines, generators and other equipment produced by Yu Feng's machinery factory can basically only meet local needs, while overseas colonial areas can only apply for quotas by reporting to the executive committee, and only after they are successful can they be eligible Buy.And even if the purchase contract is signed, you have to wait slowly, and it is normal for the delivery time to be as long as half a year or more.

The Xingdao colonial area is very far away from the mainland and lacks convincing production demand, so it is naturally difficult to apply for many quotas.Roger wants to equip his warships with more advanced marine engines to improve combat effectiveness, and Tan Juren hopes to introduce generators to promote the local industrialization process, which has been difficult to achieve before.But if Yu Feng is willing to provide some help in this regard, it will be much easier to realize these wishes.

It was precisely out of such considerations that the Xingdao Colonial Area provided Yu's Shipping Company with excellent operating conditions, and Yu Feng also reciprocated, and he was sure to provide dozens of ships to the Xingdao Colonial Area in the next two years. The necessary engines and generators, and send technical personnel to assist in the installation and commissioning, and will also train the operators on their behalf.

However, Yu Feng did not give the answer Luo Jie and Tan Juren wanted for the plan proposed by the Xingdao colonial area to build a branch factory in Sumatra to produce machinery and equipment.

While Tian Yeyou said the distribution of mineral deposits in the area was sufficient to support a new industrial base, Yu Feng took a less optimistic view.

As a necessary fuel for industrial construction, although Sumatra has considerable reserves of coal mines, according to available data, most of them are located in inland mountainous areas in the central part of the island, where transportation is extremely inconvenient, and low-quality low-calorific coal accounts for nearly Half.In addition, there are too few iron ores in this area, and the mining value is low, which is also a major factor restricting industrial development.

Of course, both coal and iron can be imported from the outside, but the cost of use is too high, and the industrial products here have no advantages at all. It is better to order directly from the country.As for the production of high-end equipment such as engine generators, it will also involve the issue of confidentiality of technology. Neither the Executive Committee nor the Ministry of Industry should agree to transfer the production process overseas.

(End of this chapter)