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Chapter 1670: Opportunities Brought by War (First Update, Please Subscribe)
Responsibility, everyone has his own responsibility.

Even when Xia was feeling helpless about having to bear responsibilities that were not appropriate for his age, the world continued to operate in his own way.

On May 5, Nasser ordered the closure of the Strait of Tiran, an important seaport of Israel.

After the news came out, oil prices rose sharply. The reason for the rise was not because of the oil itself, but because of the freight.

"The Middle East war is inevitable!"

In the meeting room of Taiping Shipbuilding Industry Company, although Zhu Wanzhe was transferred to the company as deputy general manager five years ago, as the first general manager of the Shipbuilding Industry Company, he was very concerned about the Shipbuilding Industry Company. So much so that he came here as soon as he heard the news.

"The canal will definitely be closed by then, and the oil transportation in the Persian Gulf will be diverted from Suez to the Cape of Good Hope. In order to reduce transportation costs, they will definitely need supertankers. So, you must be prepared..."

Zhu Wanzhe changed his words halfway through his sentence:

"It's not just about preparation, it's about building supertankers!"

Supertankers were born from Taiping Shipbuilding Industry. From 10-ton tankers to 20-ton tankers and then to 30-ton tankers, Taiping Shipbuilding Industry Company has made history time and again in the past decade.

Along with its completion, a new name was born: VLCC, which stands for VERY LARGE CRUDE CARRIER - an oil tanker with a deadweight between 20 and 32 tons is called a supertanker.

All these were the achievements Zhu Wanzhe made when he was in charge of the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

As the first manager of the Shipbuilding Industry Company, he not only founded the enterprise, but also provided guidance for its development.

This direction is large-scale!
At that time, when the shipbuilding industries of various countries were squeezed by the Liberty and Victory ships that were eliminated by the United States after the war and could only rely on ship repair to make a living, Zhu Wanzhe, as the manager of the Shipbuilding Industry Company, set the policy of large-scale development.

The so-called large-scale policy is to build large ships.

From 5-ton oil tankers to 5-ton bulk carriers...the launching of large ships not only helped Taiping Shipbuilding Industry Company gain a reputation in the world's shipbuilding industry.

Moreover, lower operating costs have also made ship owners see the benefits of larger ships. Having tasted the sweetness, they have submitted orders to the company one after another.

It is for this reason that the Taiping Shipbuilding Industry Corporation has developed rapidly. In addition to the development of container ships, ro-ro ships and other ships, the Taiping Shipbuilding Industry Corporation has developed into the world's largest shipbuilding company in the past decade.

However, Zhu Wanzhe has regrets in his heart. What are his regrets?
It’s a 50-ton supertanker!

Like many people, there are always regrets in life. When Zhu Wanzhe formulated the plan to develop a supertanker, his ultimate goal was a 50-ton supertanker.

"Its appearance will fundamentally change the global oil shipping!"

But it's a pity.

Although the company had already drawn up the blueprints, the supertanker remained on the drawing board.

Because no shipowner placed an order.

Even the Borneo Shipping Company has not placed an order.

Because they don't need it at all.

Not to mention a 50-ton supertanker, even a 30-ton supertanker has very limited market demand. If it were not for using supertankers to transport oil from the Persian Gulf to the mainland, shipping companies would not even purchase such tankers because they cannot pass through the Suez Canal.

In fact, since the emergence of supertankers, except for 10 t tankers that can be used to transport oil to Europe, supertankers including 20 t are basically produced and sold by the country.

Fortunately, with the continuous development of the petrochemical industry and the automobile market in recent years, SEA needs to import hundreds of millions of tons of oil every year, so there is still a certain demand for supertankers, but it is only limited to this.

In contrast, Europe has a higher demand for oil, but the Suez Canal restricts the use of super cruise ships.

It is for this reason that the 50-ton supertanker has become an unfinished project on the drawing board.

Of course, this has become Zhu Wanzhe's biggest regret in life, but now the outbreak of this war has given him hope.

Now is the chance.

"Manager, you know that if we start the work rashly without an order from the shipowner, the losses we will incur may be incalculable."

Even though Zhu Wanzhe was his old superior, and even though he was now the deputy general manager of Borneo Company, Zhang Liguo, the manager of the Shipbuilding Industry Company, still refused:
"We cannot speculate on the future and invest rashly just because of a war that has not yet broken out.

The last war was caused by the closure of the canal, so how could Egypt close the canal now?"

Facing his subordinate's rejection, Zhu Wanzhe was not annoyed. He stood in Zhang Liguo's office, his eyes as sharp as a torch, as if he could see into the future. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, and each tap seemed to be beating the beat of time.

"Li Guo, have you ever thought that this war might be different from the last one? At the end of the Second Middle East War, Israel handed over the Sinai Peninsula they occupied to the United Nations according to the peace treaty.

They thought that as long as there were UN peacekeeping forces, Egypt would not be able to bypass the UN and attack Israel. But we all know that Egypt has expelled the UN and the troops from the Sinai Peninsula and took over their defense zone. ”

When saying this, Zhu Wanzhe's tone was full of sarcasm.

“When Egypt expelled the UN peacekeepers and took over the peacekeepers’ defense zone, Israel lodged a protest with the UN, but what’s the point?

The United Nations has done nothing but issue a bland statement. In this case, is it possible for Israel to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt after occupying the modern peninsula?

Or should we hand over the Sinai Peninsula to the United Nations, place it under UN control, and then wait for the Egyptians to expel the UN peacekeeping forces next time?

When he said this, although his tone was sarcastic, it was inevitable that there was a hint of gratitude. If it weren't for their naivety, how could they have this opportunity now?

Of course, this kind of naivety only happens once, and people only make a mistake once.

After this mistake, the Israelites will not make it again, so he trusts his own judgment.

The Israelis will surely occupy the entire Sinai Peninsula next.

Zhang Liguo frowned, as if trying hard to understand Zhu Wanzhe's words.

"Manager, you're saying that Israel will win the war this time just like they did last time, and they will completely occupy the Sinai Peninsula, right?"

Zhu Wanzhe nodded, his eyes were firm, but his voice was calm and powerful:
“Yes, I believe that Israel will win this time, and after they occupy the southwest peninsula, the Suez Canal will become a war zone. In order to block the Israeli attack, the Egyptians are likely to lay mines in the canal.

The armies of the two countries will fight across the canal. Even if the International Canal Company is reluctant to close the canal, facing the battlefield and potential dangers, all they can do is close the canal. "

Zhu Wanzhe's tone was very affirmative, and he had no doubt about Israel's victory, because Israel does not only have the support of the United States.

“Yes, once the canal is actually closed, the oil from the Persian Gulf will have to go around the Cape of Good Hope. The journey will increase and the cost will soar, which will create demand for super cruise ships in the world shipping market. We must plan ahead and build super tankers with larger tonnage to cope with this sudden opportunity.”

Zhang Liguo's expression was still extremely serious. He thought for a moment and then said:

"General Manager, you have to know that although this is an opportunity, it can also be dangerous. If we start building supertankers and the situation develops differently from your expectations, then it will have a very serious impact on the company."

“Opportunities and risks coexist.”

Zhu Wanzhe smiled slightly, his smile revealed confidence and foresight.
"Liguo, this is not just an opportunity, it is the choice of the times. We must act quickly to build 50-ton supertankers to seize the market opportunity. Just like why we chose to build larger ships, when Your Excellency pointed out this direction, I was also full of doubts - there are so many old ships, why do they still choose our new ships?"

Looking at Zhang Liguo, Zhu Wanzhe mentioned the old things again and said:
"Your Excellency said, direction - as long as we grasp the direction of development, then we will not lose!

Facts have proved that your judgment at that time was very correct. We entered the international market by manufacturing large ships and achieved rapid development. Now this is also our opportunity. "

Zhang Liguo took a deep breath and couldn't help but recall the past. When the company was building those large merchant ships, the outside world was also not friendly to it.

After all, at that time, the market was full of obsolete Liberty and Victory ships from the United States. How could new ships be sold?

But just a few years later, everything changed. Large merchant ships of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tons began to replace old ships, and Taiping Shipbuilding Industry Company rose in this process and became the world's largest ship manufacturer.

“General Manager, your judgment is convincing. I will immediately organize a team to start the construction of a 50-ton supertanker.”

The two men shook hands, and at that moment, Zhu Wanzhe seemed to have no regrets anymore. After all, this had always been his dream.

After leaving the Shipbuilding Industry Company in a BMW driven by his driver, Zhu Wanzhe's mouth corners turned up and a smile appeared on his face.

"Five hundred thousand tons... this is a real supertanker!"

Now Zhu Wanzhe even wanted to invite two friends to go to the restaurant together. He was going to have a couple of drinks. At this time, he sat in the car, leaned back, and lit his first cigar of the night.

At this time, he heard the news on the radio - a military spokesman announced that their military operation killed more than 400 East African terrorists.

Listening to the news, Zhu Wanzhe frowned and said to himself:
"It's been so long, and the East African issue hasn't been resolved yet..."

(End of this chapter)