50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 691 Adding Two More Flames

It's not to say that there are no other shipping companies on Hong Kong Island besides the shipping magnate.

Ship owners like Cao and Zhao, whose fleets are still quite limited, are still targets he will be approaching in the future.

After arriving in Hong Kong Island, Sun Zhiwei first visited Mr. Huo with gifts, and then, through Mr. Huo's introduction, met with the bigwigs of Hong Kong Island shipping companies, including the shipping magnate.

For shipping companies in Hong Kong, the Strait of Malacca is an essential route for entering and exiting the eastern seas. Every company has encountered pirate attacks in the waters of Malacca.

If Sun Zhiwei's Pinkerton company can maintain the safety of their ships on the Malacca route, they are willing to pay a sum of money, after all, the profits from shipping are really high.

Even if they don't run a maritime trade business themselves, the transportation costs of the fleet alone can be a considerable source of income.

But high returns mean high risks. Everyone knows that maritime trade is profitable, so why are there so few people entering this industry?
On the one hand, the cost of entering the industry is high. A 10,000-ton cargo ship costs several million US dollars, and without some capital, one simply cannot get involved in this industry.

Even with a boat, the subsequent risks are still too much for ordinary businesses to bear.

Just like the pirates of Malacca, you're bound to encounter them at least once or twice out of ten. Not to mention, there are many places around the world that are very similar to Malacca.

Places like Somalia, the Caribbean, West Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bay of Bengal are all places rife with pirates.

If it's just a robbery, it's fine; you can just pay to avoid trouble. But if it's a vicious one, they might take both the person and the boat, leaving the boat owner penniless.

Pirates are not the biggest risk in maritime trade; more losses come from natural disasters and accidents.

This includes natural disasters such as hurricanes, high waves, lightning, tsunamis, and earthquakes, as well as accidents such as grounding, reefing, collisions, and fires.

One or two accidents are manageable; with good luck, you can avoid them. But with so many accidents combined, how many times a year will you not encounter them? And once you do, it means a loss.

That's not all. There are also many commercial risks, such as document fraud, port strikes, and shipping delays caused by route adjustments, which can lead to compensation claims.

And rising costs due to soaring international oil prices, shipping lane blockades caused by local conflicts, changes in tariff policies, changes in carbon emission pricing, political changes in the countries where ports are located, and even direct war.

In short, any of these things, whether they're minor or major, will result in losses.

Thinking about this, Sun Zhiwei felt a little sorry for Dong the Shipping King.

He remembered that the world's largest crude oil tanker, the Sea Giant (Nock Nevis), seemed to have already been acquired by Dong, the shipping magnate.

If I remember correctly, two years from now, the Sea Giant will be sent to the bottom of the sea by a missile fired from Baghdad in the Persian Gulf.

Not only did Dong's ship sink, but more than 50 tons of crude oil on board were also burned to ashes. He was also responsible for compensating the local sea pollution caused by the leaked crude oil.

In short, Dong, the shipping magnate, suffered huge losses because of the Giant Ship incident.

So, running a shipping company is tough; people only see them making money, but they don't see them getting beaten up.

Why is it that of the four shipping magnates of the 1970s, only the shipping magnate Bao remains today, while the others changed careers because they couldn't make ends meet?

Even the shipping magnate managed to survive because he invested heavily in real estate, thus mitigating the risks and using the profits from real estate to subsidize his fleet.

Sun Zhiwei came to Hong Kong Island to discuss his first business deal with the shipping fleet because he knew they couldn't refuse this escort business.

Once they establish their reputation, fleets from other ports will naturally come to them, and that's when Pinkerton Asia's escort business will be established.

With Mr. Dong's introduction, Sun Zhiwei successfully signed escort contracts with several major shipping companies in Hong Kong, and the Subi Island base finally began to generate revenue. After arranging matters at the Subi Island base, Sun Zhiwei did not immediately return to China, but instead began to consider the issue of Java.

On Java Island, the Prabowo and Latif families are currently engaged in fierce fighting. Thanks to the ample weapons and ammunition provided by Sun Zhiwei, the land battles have not only not stopped, but have become even more intense.

Both sides began transferring troops from other regions to Java.

Sun Zhiwei planned to add fuel to the fire for them from both the east and west sides.

First is Banda Aceh, located in the Aceh region on the westernmost part of Java. This place was called the Aceh Sultanate in the 16th century and once controlled the entire Strait of Malacca shipping route.

The people of Acehnese back then were very shrewd in business. By guarding the Strait of Malacca, a "golden waterway," all passing merchant ships had to obediently pay "passage fees."

In today's terms, that means you can make money while lying down.

In 1511, with the invasion of the Portuguese, Aceh began to fight the Portuguese, a war that lasted for more than 300 years until Aceh was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1913.

After World War II, the Aceh people supported the Javanese in driving out the Dutch, but Suno of Java was no pushover. He broke the original agreement and incorporated the entire Aceh into his territory.

Meanwhile, most of Aceh's natural gas revenue was taken by Suno's son's company, leaving the local people extremely poor.

This infuriated the Acehnese, who immediately organized an armed force to fight against Suno.

They guerrilla-style operations in the mountains, specifically targeting oil pipelines in Java for bombing. The two sides have been fighting back and forth for decades, and they're still fighting now.

However, since last year, the fighting in Jakarta has been intense, and Prabowo's forces have become increasingly strained, forcing him to transfer troops from other areas.

As a result, a significant portion of the Javanese army, which had long been stationed in Aceh, was transferred away. This emboldened the local Aceh armed forces.

Sun Zhiwei recognized their strength and decided to give them some support.

A few days later, after putting on makeup, Sun Zhiwei took a flight to Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh.

Located at the northern end of the Malacca Channel, and with its excellent port, this area has witnessed a booming maritime trade.

Unfortunately, it was all the wealthy Javanese merchants who made money, while the local Aceh people didn't benefit much.

After arriving, Sun Zhiwei first swept up the local grain reserves, and then spent a week searching for local guerrillas in the mountains of Aceh.

When he finally found them, he discovered that their condition was not good; they were lacking in every way imaginable.

However, their fighting spirit is very strong, which is rare.

Sun Zhiwei decided to support them, but he didn't intend to expose himself.

He lay in wait in the guerrilla territory for several days, and finally got his chance.

The guerrilla leader planned to attack a Javanese military camp located in the direction of Banda Aceh, where there was a batch of military supplies and a considerable amount of food.

Previously, this military camp had a garrison of a regiment, and these hundreds of men could only look on with envy.

However, they recently received news that most of the regiment's garrison had been transferred to Jakarta, leaving only a company.

(End of this chapter)