The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

Chapter 155 [Expansion Expansion]

Hong Kong ushers in the spring of the year again, a season full of greenery.

In the early morning, Lin Zhichao, who had been tossing all night, lifted the quilt vigorously, and the two mermaids opened their hazy eyes, and then occupied the open space as usual, hugging each other to keep warm.

Lin Zhichao simply put on his pajamas, and was very satisfied to see the deep relationship between Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying.With a perfect tacit understanding, Lin Zhichao is happy physically and mentally every time.

Walking out of the bedroom and coming to the courtyard downstairs, he started a set of Tai Chi, entering the stage of health preservation ahead of schedule.In fact, Lin Zhichao is more breathing the fresh air in the morning, so that the meridians and blood can flow unimpeded.

It was a very simple idea, so Tai Chi ended in 15 minutes, and then the female bodyguard Qin Li handed him a few newspapers, and he sat in the yard to read the morning newspaper.

"How is work? Are there any troubles in life?" Lin Zhichao asked carelessly.

Qin Li is the person next to Tang Caiyun, and it is impossible for Lin Zhichao to use a female bodyguard. After all, it is too conspicuous in this era, and it is easy to be gossiped.On the contrary, Tang Caiyun, Xu Caiying, Lin Xiner, and Wu Wenying all have a female assistant and bodyguard.

"Work is good, life is free of worries!" Qin Li was about to leave, and after hearing the words, she said briefly.

During the training of bodyguard trainees, the instructor said that while protecting the safety of the employer, the bodyguard should try not to disturb the life of the employer.

Lin Zhichao continued: "Did you study English and cultural lessons well?"

Restricted by the cultural and educational level of this era, his bodyguards are generally less educated, but in this way, some things will be inconvenient; for example, he and his family need to go abroad, and the bodyguards can't even communicate in simple English. If you don't know a single word, it will really delay your work.

Therefore, Lin's bodyguards all have cultural lessons.Moreover, regular assessments will be conducted. If you fail to learn, you may be transferred from your post.

"Yes, the teacher said that I have made great progress!"

"Well, study hard. I can arrange a better job when I retire from the post of bodyguard in the future. You bodyguards have followed us and have seen a lot of worlds. You can't say that you left the post of bodyguard and went to the bottom of society to make a living. That is A waste."

Qin Li was finally moved by the fact that there is such a good boss in the world, and said quickly: "I will definitely not disappoint the boss' expectations!"

Lin Zhichao nodded, and then started to read the newspaper. Qin Li automatically disappeared from his side, but she was on duty around.There are two live-in female bodyguards and two live-in nannies in the Lin family's family. They are both in the servant's room on the first floor, and they are on duty all night.As for the male bodyguards, they are arranged in nearby rented houses. Some are on duty outside the bungalows, while others only need about 3 minutes to arrive quickly.

The family is big and the business is big, and you must always protect your family.

The atmosphere of Hong Kong newspapers has changed suddenly recently, and the direction of public opinion has taken a sharp turn. After all, Hong Kong itself is a paradise for "profiteers" and "capitalists".Coupled with the death of the ship tycoon, it has a great impact.

Lin Zhichao read the news in the newspaper by counting lines at a glance, and he read it very quickly, but he didn't miss anything.After reading the newspaper, it's almost time for breakfast, sharing delicious food with the family.

"I seem to be pregnant!" Xu Caiying covered her mouth and said.

Tang Caiyun immediately asked, "Are you feeling sick?"

Xu Caiying nodded, then hurriedly walked towards the bathroom, Lin Zhichao and Tang Caiyun hurriedly followed.

Wu Wenying said happily: "This kid is really amazing!"

I don't know who is talking about the best, anyway, Lin Xiner's face turned red after hearing it.

After breakfast, Lin Zhichao took Xu Caiying to the hospital for an examination. Sure enough, he was told that he was happy, and he was immediately delighted.

"Will it affect our travel plans?" Xu Caiying asked softly.

Lin Zhichao has already agreed to arrange a vacation in the United States in May and June, and he will take Xu Caiying with him. He also wants to go and investigate.

"No, the plan will not change!"

"That's more or less the same, otherwise this brat would have offended his old lady before he was born!"

Lin Zhichao immediately smiled and prayed silently for the unborn child.

Returning to the global shipping in the morning, Lin Zhichao immediately arranged for the purchase of the ship.

At present, there is a huge sum of more than 200 million U.S. dollars lying in the account of Global Shipping, while the arrears of HSBC Bank are only 235 million U.S. dollars (including interest).

Therefore, the net assets of Global Shipping are already 1200 freighters, reaching about [-] million US dollars.

The important thing is that those long-term contracts are intangible assets and have a lot of value.

The purchase of the ship is still an old rule, borrowing 300 million US dollars from HSBC, plus its own funds, for the purchase.Theoretically speaking, the load capacity will be increased by [-] to [-] tons.

The price of a ship is not fixed. It takes about US$7500 million to build a 150 cargo ship in Europe. After the mid-50s, Japanese shipbuilding also developed. It only cost US$100 million, and its performance and equipment can reach the European level.

一艘7500吨的欧洲造二手船，船龄在15~25年左右的，价格在50~60万美金。

These are the market prices under normal circumstances in the 50s. Once the off-season of shipping came, such as the time period from 1959 to 1961, the world's major ports were full of second-hand ships, waiting for people to choose.The price of a [-]-ton freighter may only cost [-] U.S. dollars, and you can also give you a loan of [-] U.S. dollars.Of course, these ships are quite old, and whether they can run depends entirely on luck and skill.

After a while, the assistant called Lin Zhichao for a meeting, and he cleared his mind and walked towards the meeting room.

As soon as I entered the office, I felt that everyone was in good working condition. As a shipping giant, the net worth of these executives has also increased. The general annual salary is around [-], which is the level of buying a flat.

The high salary means that Lin Zhichao has high demands on everyone. Working overtime on weekends is the norm, and he will be scolded for his slippery thinking and depravity.

"How's the situation with the sailors?" Lin Zhichao sat down and got straight to the point.

Deputy General Manager Feng Yongfa said immediately: "Everything is fully prepared. The 80 senior seafarers have been studying for almost half a year, and most of the time is spent in practical training; the 120 ordinary seafarers have also been trained for two months. The eight ships are in operation, and ordinary seamen will be temporarily recruited for the shortfall.”

Although Feng Yongfa is the deputy general manager, he also has key tasks, that is, he is in charge of shipping business, dock loading and unloading, etc.Of course, Lin Zhichao intends to cultivate his ability to control the overall situation, but he is more of a helper than a general manager.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao will probably always insist on picking the chairman and the general manager together.

"Well, if there is no problem with sailing, now the focus is on business. I just came back from Japan and got a general idea from Yamaguchi Steamship and Nippon Steamship. They can only charter two [-]-ton freighters for a period of four years. , but the price was cut by them. Of course, these are acceptable, and the boats that cannot be rented out are not so much boats as burdens. So there are several remaining boats, and we can only look for new Japanese long-term charters customers, or come up with fixed routes.”

This time, the price given by Yamaguchi Steamship and Nippon Shipping was a little lower. For a 65-ton freighter, they only paid about 70 to 15 US dollars a year for rent.According to this level, it takes 18 to [-] months for a ship to pay back its capital.

Little Japan is very shrewd, knowing that the ships in the Far East have two directions, the first is to deal with the mainland, and the second is to deal with Japan.They figured out that Lin Zhichao didn't dare to take risks, so they lowered the price now.

However, Lin Zhichao agreed with almost no counter-offer, which made the Japanese very depressed.

Of course, it is impossible for the Japanese to lower the price too much, because the market conditions are such that long-term rentals are generally 75-80% of short-term rentals, and they cannot open outlets no matter how low they are.

As for Lin Zhichao, his idea is that no matter how low the price is, can it be lower than the market price in 1953~1955? It may be much higher, and important ships have been sailing.

Therefore, it is in his interest to sign a long-term contract at the peak. He not only gains benefits, but also gains fame.

Gao Qiqiang said: "Two European routes can still be opened, and the rest will be sold to other shipping companies in Japan. Long-term charters are generally very popular there. The current market is still good, so the cargo ships purchased this time must be If you can enter the port, you will have a mission."

Everyone feels that the business is temporarily worry-free!
Indeed, this is what many people think, so they only see immediate profits.In the first half of next year, I am afraid that every ton of goods will return to the level before the Peninsula War (10-15 dollars per ton, depending on the goods and routes, usually more than 50 days a round trip, including port time).

"Okay, let's arrange it like this for the time being, and then we will go to Japan to sell and sell."

Long-term lease is the most beneficial to Lin Zhichao, because he will calculate the time, even if the lease period is long or short.And at this point, the lessee does not understand, they will only calculate how much less than the current rent, whether they need the ship in the future.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao is also serious about calculating Little Japan.

Even after a few years, these customers will not think that Zhichao Lin is very smart, because they will not believe that Zhichao Lin knows the future.Moreover, this is the skill that shipping people should have.

Later, Lin Zhichao arranged for people to go to the European shipping market to inquire about the market, and he would go to investigate and negotiate in person later.

In the Blue Room of the Hong Kong Club, Lin Zhichao and Sandas were meeting, but when he talked about the need to borrow another 300 million US dollars from HSBC, Sandas was already numb.

Sanders never imagined that shipping could make money so easily and stably. As a banker, he would refute if he said that global shipping was financially risky.Because global shipping can be said to be 'zero debt' at present, and those long-term contracts are obviously 'very stable assets'.

"How long will your pattern of development last, I'm curious?"

The expansion is really fast, which is incredible.

Lin Zhichao said: "I have investigated the market prospects in detail and analyzed the impact of regional wars, so this year is very critical, and it is a good time to expand the fleet. In fact, as you know, the finances of Global Shipping are very healthy."

Assuming that the funds for the purchase of the ship are between 500 million and 550 million US dollars, in fact, it only takes four months to pay off all of them, and it does not even take that long.

Sanders nodded. World Shipping's finances are healthy because they hold a large number of long-term leases, which reassures the bank.

"There should be no problem with the loan. Come to my office tomorrow and we will go to the project department together."

"it is good"

Later, Lin Zhichao tentatively asked: "Suppose I want to build a new ship, can HSBC provide loans?"

Sanders was taken aback, and then said: "I think HSBC has not changed its view on shipping. If the loan is huge, HSBC will not agree. So if you build a new ship, you can only rely on yourself. Maybe we can provide A small amount of funds. In short, I am still giving you a loan conservatively."

A new ship is about three times the price of an old ship, and an oil tanker of the same tonnage is more expensive than a cargo ship.

Therefore, in the view of Sanders, Lin Zhichao does not have the strength to build new ships, and it is better to operate second-hand ships honestly.

Lin Zhichao said at this time: "Sang Dashi, I often visit Japan and find that the times are changing. Japan did not slump after the war, but buried the pain and rushed to catch up. They can now build cargo ships comparable to Europe. But the price is one-third cheaper than in Europe."

In 1949 the U.S. military occupied Japan and the Japanese authorities approved the reopening of the Japanese shipbuilding industry until 1956.As far as Lin Zhichao knows, in his previous life in 1956, Japan became the world's largest shipbuilding country in just seven years.

Sanders said unconvinced: "But after all, they learned from Europe and the United States. In terms of experience and technology, they can only be regarded as elementary school students."

Lin Zhichao is noncommittal or not, it is still too early to argue about this.

On the contrary, Sanders asked curiously: "Why do you suddenly praise the development of Japan's shipbuilding industry?"

Lin Zhichao said: "I just think this may be a good opportunity! The Japanese have developed rapidly in the past two years, and the wages of workers will inevitably rise, so the competitiveness of shipping will also weaken. Coupled with their strict foreign exchange control, after a certain period of time, I think they will be more Willing to rent a boat."

The two are friends. Lin Zhichao analyzed these market conditions for Sanders, and the purpose is to let Sanders see his vision and support himself in building new ships in the future.

Sanders will probably take up the post of project manager in 1954, and he will be the God of Wealth in power at that time. There is no reason for Lin Zhichao not to establish a good relationship in advance.

"Makes sense! It seems that you stare at the Japanese market like owning a hen that lays golden eggs."

"Indeed. Of course, I also hope to charter the ship to European and American customers one day, but obviously it is not the time yet."

The two spent a pleasant time chatting, and suddenly Old Madden and Little Madden walked towards them and met again by chance.

Hong Kong is so small, and the Hong Kong Club is a club for the British, which is quite normal.

Everyone greeted each other, but Lin Zhichao and Ma Deng never mentioned their "intrigue".

But obviously, Old Madden was still worried about the 'bet', so he couldn't help asking: "Mr. Lin, you now have a very large fleet, right?"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "I dare not think so. It can be called huge. It should be the fleet owned by the ship kings like the West. In fact, I have just entered this line, and Wheelock's fleet It should be some distance away."

In fact, Lao Ma Deng practiced diversified investment and made a lot of money in the past few years, but the fleet has only increased to about 25 tons, which means that Lin Zhichao will soon surpass him.

The old Ma Deng felt a little depressed, knowing that Lin Zhichao's fleet was estimated to be about 15 tons, so he was so calm.

"Well, congratulations on getting a loan from HSBC."

Regarding the loan from HSBC Bank, the old Madden also tried it, but was flatly rejected; he asked the people in the project department, and Charlie proposed three conditions. The first is a long-term contract to ensure the guarantee, and the second is to get a lease Fang's letter of credit, and the third is that someone guarantees him.

Obviously, he couldn't do either.

"Thank you"

Afterwards, the two parties parted ways, and Sandas couldn't help asking about their grievances for the first time, and Lin Zhichao didn't hide it either.

"Haha, I didn't expect such a thing to happen. I said how did you know each other?"

"No fight, no acquaintance"

"Why don't you tell him that you're going to win Wheelock soon."

"I thought, then I don't seem to be happy, so why show off!"

Sandas sighed: "You Chinese people are really humble, I have seen many people like this!"

It's not about modesty. In a few years, Old Madden will also find out from the newspapers that he has already lost everything.

What's more, Lin Zhichao knew in his heart that he had already defeated the old Madden, and that was enough.

In late March, Lin Zhichao started the mode of buying, buying and buying in London. He bought six 6-ton 7800-year-old freighters and five 25-ton freighters at one time, a total of 5 ships with a total deadweight of just over 11 tons.

This time he picked up a small leak. A British shipping company packaged and sold six 7800-ton cargo ships at a price of only 50 US dollars. There is a big reason-Lin Zhichao enjoys a high reputation in the British shipping industry The company is willing to sell this batch of second-hand boats to him and provide installment payment.

Of course, a 25-year-old second-hand boat is indeed relatively old.However, Lin Zhichao felt that it would not be affected. There is no problem in using these ships for another 10 to 15 years, and such a long time is enough for him to earn more than 500 million US dollars for each ship.

The total purchase price of the ship is 620 million US dollars. Although the global shipping is only 540 million US dollars, after all, an installment payment of 150 million US dollars is provided, so there is no pressure on funds.

This time Lin Zhichao was interviewed by the government department in London, which made Lin Zhichao feel that shipping is really an influential career.In order to establish a good relationship with London, Lin Zhichao planned to build one or two new ships in the UK symbolically in one or two years.

Back in Hong Kong, Lin Zhichao simply dealt with official business, and he couldn't wait to go to Japan to sell.

The result was a new major customer, Sanko Shipping of Japan, who leased three 3-ton freighters from Global Shipping for a period of 4 years, and the annual rent was 220 million US dollars a year. However, Lin Zhichao was very happy to accept it.

Yamaguchi Steamship and Nippon Shipping leased respectively: 1 2-ton freighter and 7800 170-ton freighters. The lease period is also four years, and the annual rent is [-] million US dollars (a group of three ships).

A big win!

His subordinates were convinced by Lin Zhichao's sales eloquence, and the three shipping companies willingly leased 9 ships for four years.

The remaining two ships naturally ran a fixed route.

(End of this chapter)