The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

Chapter 188 [The first oil tanker involved] (Ask for a monthly ticket!)

Time flies, and two months have passed in a blink of an eye.

In the office of Global Shipping, Lin Zhichao looked at the financial statements and his heart beat faster.The rent for July has not yet been booked, but Global Shipping still has a cash flow of 1680 million US dollars and a debt of 150 million US dollars, which is the debt of building new ships for the United Kingdom.

Global shipping with 59 freighters and a load capacity of 61 tons is like a golden rooster that lays golden eggs, continuously generating a lot of profits.In fact, if Lin Zhichao had not signed many five-year leases for Global Shipping, the annual profit would not have reached more than 2000 million US dollars.

After flipping through the materials for a while, Lin Zhichao paused to think.

It's time for Global Shipping to buy a tanker!

However, Lin Zhichao did not have the idea of ​​entering the oil tanker field on a large scale, because currently the world's oil tankers account for about 15% of the total merchant ships, which shows that the market is not very good; at the same time, Lin Zhichao is also worried about the safety performance of oil tankers. Buying a second-hand tanker increases the chances of accidents.

Therefore, this time Global Shipping intends to increase the load capacity by 1 tons, but only plans to buy four second-hand oil tankers of 2 to [-] tons, and the rest will still buy freighters.

In terms of cargo ships, the market has further expanded. Although the price is not high, it is considered normal. A second-hand ship can be returned in two or three years. The important thing is that Lin Zhichao will only sign a two-year lease, or run a short-term lease.

All roads lead to Rome, not necessarily following the path of Bao Yugang in his previous life. Didn't Dong Haoyun also become the biggest independent ship king, but he won't go ashore in the end.

"Boss, it's time for the conference room!" Assistant Chen Tian'an walked into the office and said respectfully.

Lin Zhichao stood up energetically and walked towards the meeting room, just like a general setting up a battlefield.

When we came to the meeting room, more than a dozen high-level executives were preparing for a meeting. Seeing Lin Zhichao coming in, they just looked at him normally, because Lin Zhichao didn't like too 'bureaucratic' meeting style.

"The meeting room is officially started! This meeting is mainly to arrange a new round of expansion arrangements for global shipping. I hope to add four more oil tankers of more than [-] tons and three or four cargo ships of more than [-] tons to global shipping. Deputy Feng General Manager, tell me!"

Lin Zhichao directly named Feng Yongfa. Everyone already knew about these plans, and he was just a normal test of his preparations.

Feng Yongfa nodded, and then said: "Currently, the largest tanker was launched last year in Hamburg, Germany, with a deadweight of over 4 tons. Other tankers generally have a deadweight of about 1949 to [-] tons. Before [-], the largest tanker was only [-] Tons. Therefore, [-] to [-] tons of oil tankers are currently the most common type of second-hand oil tankers. As for senior seamen, we plan to drive the old second-hand tankers that have just been trained, and carefully select a group of senior seamen with rich experience to drive tanker."

Lin Zhichao knew that there were two reasons why oil tankers did not develop towards large oil tankers: first, large oil tankers needed deep-water ports, which most ports in the world could not achieve; second, after the closure of Suez in 1956, the Let people realize that only large tankers can handle this situation.

At the same time, most of the current 1-2-ton tankers were built in the 40s and are expensive.

The price of second-hand ships fluctuates, and the highest price can reach more than 90% of new ships. For example, when Suez is closed, even second-hand ships can be sold at a price close to that of new ships.Because at that time, the second-hand boat was also the hen that laid the golden eggs.

At the same time, the current price of second-hand boats has not fallen, but has risen a little.The price of an oil tanker is much higher than that of a freighter, which is a big investment. Of course, the rent will increase accordingly.

Later, Lin Zhichao said to Gao Qiqiang: "What do you think of the tanker business?"

Gao Qiqiang said confidently: "The four oil tankers will still be popular in the Japanese market, and we don't have to worry about the owners."

Lin Zhichao shook his head and said: "Japan's demand for oil tankers is still small for the time being, and only Europe and the United States are the major demanders for oil tankers. And in terms of long-term interests, I tend to lease to large oil companies in Europe and the United States. Therefore, your department is just doing a survey plan." , about this aspect."

Gao Qiqiang immediately said, "Okay, boss!"

He knew that the boss had always done this kind of sales by himself, so he could only do it first.The boss has always liked to do things by himself when it comes to buying ships and selling them for lease.

In the end, Lin Zhichao arranged for the purchase of ships. He still bought second-hand ships from the European market because the prices were cheaper than those in the United States.Although the sun is setting in Britain, the annual load capacity of shipbuilding is still the first in the world, not to mention the shipbuilding industries of Germany and France.

As for the shipbuilding industry in the United States, it has moved to the mainland, so it is not number one in the world; moreover, since the United States has a large number of ships as merchant ships after the war, it is not keen on a large number of local shipbuilding.

However, Japan's shipbuilding industry has not yet entered Lin Zhichao's eyes, and it is expected to be in the late 50s.On the contrary, if building a new oil tanker, Lin Zhichao will definitely consider Germany.

Germany's industry is too developed, even after being divided up by various countries. Before 1949, the world's largest oil tanker was produced in Germany with a load of more than 2 tons; last year (1953), Germany produced a tanker with a load of more than 4 tons.It is estimated that Germany is already manufacturing a 5-ton oil tanker, which will sail next year.

Therefore, in terms of shipbuilding, Europe and the United States are still the leaders, and Japan can only be said to be in its infancy.In the next year or two, if Japan offers good conditions, Lin Zhichao is willing to build a small number of new ships.

Lin Zhichao's visit to Lee Shau Kee's wig factory can be regarded as the background of the wig industry.Hong Kong's wig industry has been launched for less than a year, but now there are as many as 18 wig factories, employing more than 2000 workers, and it has become a dazzling new industry.

And all of this, everyone attributes the credit to Lin Zhichao's main contribution, so he has gained a lot of honors.

Lee Shau Kee's wig factory has two production lines and more than 300 workers. It can produce 400-6 wigs per month and can earn 8-[-] per month in profit.The wig raw materials and sales channels are still handed over to Changjiang Trading.

"Many people have entered this industry and are planning to do a big job, and many wig factory owners are planning to expand production. What do the Zhaoji brothers think?" Lin Zhichao asked.

Li Zhaoji, who accompanied Lin Zhichao on the inspection, said with a serious expression: "I will not expand production! The threshold of the wig industry is too low, and soon everyone will flock to it. This is a good thing for Hong Kong's wig industry, but it is a challenge for us. If you expand rashly, it is easy to be backlashed, after all, costs are rising and prices are falling.”

Lin Zhichao nodded, since Lee Shau Kee did not pursue the innovation of wig raw materials and sales channels, he knew that Lee Shau Kee planned to become a "satellite factory" of Changjiang wigs.

"Well, I think so too. Of course, the popularity of wigs in Europe and the United States is still growing, so you don't have to worry about it, so you can make money with peace of mind. Although the number of people entering this rank has increased recently, it does not affect the development of the entire industry. " Lin Zhichao said.

He intends to support two people to become the vice presidents of the Hong Kong Wig Chamber of Commerce, one is Li Zhaoji, and the other is Liu Qingshan, both of whom are trusted by Lin Zhichao.And Chen Linyuan served as the secretary-general, but in fact he was Lin Zhichao's spokesperson.

Of course, the Hong Kong Wig Merchants Association is expected to be established next year, or the year after.It is mainly after the wig industry becomes famous in Hong Kong that the wig trade association will have influence.

"By the way, Lin Sheng, I have a friend who wants to become the agent of Changjiang Zipper. He asked me to ask what you mean?" Li Zhaoji asked tentatively.

Changjiang Zipper has indeed released rumors recently that it plans to recruit a Hong Kong businessman to become an agent, mainly in Hong Kong and Macau, and of course it can also be an agent in Southeast Asia. There is no regional plan for this.

This is because the scale of the Yangtze River zipper is getting bigger and bigger, and the growth trend is very good this year, and there is no energy to contact the manufacturer directly.And the agent system is good, that is, agents will sell zippers very hard, because they are also beneficiaries.

"What's the situation with your friend?" Lin Zhichao asked casually.

Li Zhaoji immediately said: "He is from Xiangshan, Guangdong Province. He has been running a grocery store in Hong Kong and Macau. His name is Guo Desheng. Everyone is a friend in the tea room."

Lin Zhichao thought about it for a while, the candidate was indeed a good candidate, but could this be regarded as 'capitalizing the enemy' and cultivating a real estate competitor?
However, he quickly said: "It seems quite suitable. It should be no problem for him to contact Wang Liang, the general manager of Changjiang Zipper."

Lee Shau Kee said: "Well. The main reason is that he begged me, and I think his conditions are suitable, so he took this line."

Lin Zhichao waved his hand and said, "What's the matter? As long as the conditions are right, it doesn't matter who acts as an agent."

Then the two stopped talking about it!
Lee Shau Kee is currently engaged in wigs, hardware, and trade. Among them, the hardware trade can only be regarded as a small business, which only costs 20 Hong Kong dollars a year; on the contrary, the wig industry can bring him 90 million Hong Kong dollars a year.

As for whether Sun Hung Kai can be re-established, Lin Zhichao thinks that there may still be a "Sun Hung Kai Big Three". After all, Lee Shau Kee is a relatively conservative person, and a partnership can avoid many risks.

Moreover, Sun Hung Kai looked like a real estate company at the beginning, but in fact it was an alliance, and many real estate projects were divided into separate shares; the three founders also had a private real estate company to do some personal projects.

Of course, these things have nothing to do with Lin Zhichao. With Lin Zhichao's current financial situation, it is very difficult for anyone to help him, and it is even more difficult to do business with Hong Kong Chinese businessmen.

This is the reason why dinosaurs are so big and unparalleled!

What Lin Zhichao can do is to network a group of younger brothers to form a group.Therefore, although he doesn't know how to do business with others, he doesn't care about supporting a group of people.

In late July, Lin Zhichao came to London, and Audrey Hepburn picked him up by car.

"Are you nervous?" Audrey Hepburn asked slyly.

Lin Zhichao sat in the co-pilot, heard Audrey Hepburn's teasing, and immediately said in relief: "Of course not, it's just the first time I saw the Baroness, and I was worried that I might be kicked out."

Audrey Hepburn has been pregnant for four months, and it might be inappropriate to see her mother Ella Van Hemstra again.

"Hee hee, I think you should get ready!" Audrey Hepburn said in a relaxed tone.

Lin Zhichao said deliberately: "Don't tell me you didn't communicate well in advance, and have the heart to make the world's ship king so embarrassed, that's really too bad!"

Audrey Hepburn did not suspect that Lin Zhichao was bragging, but said: "You seem to be a low-key ship king, not as high-key as Onassis. If you are like that, you may give my mother a good impression!"

Onassis is naturally high-profile. The superyacht converted from a Canadian warship just signed the "Jeddah Agreement" with the Saudi government earlier this year, which shocked the entire West and attracted a lot of force from the United States to exert pressure.

It turns out that the "exploitation license agreement" signed by the Saudi government and the US oil company has been paying a certain license fee to Saudi Arabia for the exploitation of a barrel of oil.Because of this, the United States needs to develop its economy, so it is naturally eager for low oil prices, so the current world oil price is generally 2.7 to 3 US dollars a barrel.This price is ten times lower than the tens of dollars in later generations.

However, Onassis found a loophole in these agreements, that is, there is no regulation on who owns the fleet of these oil transports. You must know that the cost of transporting oil may not necessarily be lost to the oil itself.For example, these are two cakes of the same size.

Therefore, Onassis lobbied the Saudi government last year to take back the right to transport oil to the state, and then he cooperated with the Saudi government to form a fleet and made a lot of money.

As a result, the old king did not dare to offend the United States, but the new king signed the "Jeddah Agreement" as soon as he came to power, which caused a sensation in the entire West, and also caused indiscriminate bombardment from the political, business and media circles in the United States.Even bribed Onassis' cronies to slander Onassis for bribing the Saudi royal family.

Therefore, under tremendous pressure, the new Saudi king could only unilaterally cancel the Jeddah Agreement.

Although Onassis invested in a large number of oil tankers (with a deadweight of 50 tons), there was no actual loss because the ship was still his; on the contrary, he became famous because of this, and major Western oil companies signed contracts with him one after another.

Being a ship king is also a good thing to be famous.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "If it is photographed by the media and I date you, will it give me a lot of fame?"

Audrey Hepburn's expression was happy, the relationship between the two has always been secret, and Lin Zhichao's reason for this is even greater; now Audrey Hepburn feels that since she is pregnant, even if she is exposed, she will stop acting at worst.

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Just let it be! What I'm afraid of is not the gossip, but that I don't want to be too high-profile and disturb your life."

Lin Zhichao really doesn't like the high profile of Onassis. After all, if he owns 60 tons, he will soon own a 70 tons deadweight shipowner. If it is reported by the media, he will also become a newly promoted world ship king.

Soon, the two came to an apartment building in London, held hands and knocked on a door.

"Hello, Baroness!" Lin Zhichao greeted Ella immediately when he saw Ella.

When Ella saw Lin Zhichao, the expression on her face was very disdainful, but probably because of Audrey Hepburn's insistence, she didn't drive him away directly.

Without saying a word, she stared at Lin Zhichao tightly, and it took a long time for Ella to say, "Come in, Asian!"

After entering, the two parties sat on the sofa, and Lin Zhichao had a smile on his face, which was the opposite of Ella's expression.And Audrey Hepburn poured tea for the two of them.

"I don't understand why Audrey fell in love with you, can you tell me about it?" Ella said with a displeased face.

Lin Zhichao frankly talked about the scene when the two met, and the experience along the way, and finally he said sincerely: "In the beginning, I really lied to her. At that time, I didn't realize the difference between our Hong Kong law and the West. When it came to this question, I found that the two of us already love each other deeply and are inseparable!"

What I mean by this is that I did not violate the law or anything, polygamy is allowed in Hong Kong.Legally, there is nothing wrong with him.

Ella immediately said: "I don't think you will persevere, and I don't like you to persevere. Although I already know that you are rich, that kind of wealth is nothing in the West. Audrey is already a Hollywood superstar, If she waved, someone richer would come after her."

This sentence is obviously bragging. A real rich man would look down on Audrey Hepburn, unless he was also a lover.Monroe is more famous than Audrey Hepburn, and she is just someone else's plaything.

Lin Zhichao said: "Of course Audrey is very good, but she is my person now, it is a done deal, and there is our child in her belly. Of course, I will take good care of her. After another five years, she will not regret it; After 15 years, she still won't regret it, so, Baroness, why don't you tell me what you want me to do, so you can trust me to give your daughter to me!"

Audrey Hepburn also deliberately stroked her pregnant belly at this time, the meaning was obvious!

Ella couldn't help it!
"We don't need anything! Don't be complacent. Even if Audrey gave birth to your child, I will always persuade her to leave you, because you can't give her a marriage."

"If your persuasion is effective, it must be that I did not satisfy Audrey, so I will admit failure."

The faint tit-for-tat made Audrey Hepburn quickly come out as a peacemaker. Of course, she has been conquered by Lin Zhichao, let alone a woman, she can do it even as a slave.

Lin Zhichao's charm is shared by men, women, young and old, so Ella will soon be "conquered" by Lin Zhichao and admit this son-in-law.

"Alright, how about we go out for a meal?" Audrey suggested.

"Of course," Lin Zhichao agreed.

Aila also wanted to know Lin Zhichao from the bottom of her heart, so she agreed.

During his days in London, Lin Zhichao got along with Audrey, Ella, his mother and daughter, and dealt with the purchase of the ship at the same time, and his life was very good.However, Aila's perception of Lin Zhichao changed dramatically very quickly. Although she didn't directly agree with the relationship between the two, she didn't make things difficult either.

"Boy Lin, are you sure that the company you and Audrey co-founded has a bright future, and you didn't write a blank check to my daughter?" Ella said enthusiastically during the family meal that day.

"Don't worry, the Baroness. At present, Billy Lily, which I have developed with a partner in Germany, has already sold well in Europe. It is expected to sell 10 to 15 yuan this year. Barbie dolls are even better than blue ones. I think they will be available next year." Calculated by selling 30 units, the company can earn at least 50 US dollars (including clothes). The important thing is that Barbie is a big toy IP, which can continue to operate and become a classic like "Roman Holiday" .” Lin Zhichao explained.

It is better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish. Giving women money directly is a way to deal with "passing lovers".Since Audrey Hepburn was willing to give birth to her child, of course he was willing to give her an easy career.

It doesn't matter if you don't want to run the business, Lin Zhichao only needs to do it in her name and leave it to a professional manager to take care of it.Of course, the general policy of management is still in Lin Zhichao's mind.

Ella immediately said: "Audrey is pregnant now, and it is inconvenient to often go to companies in the United States. Do you need me to go, so that those American country people will not lie to you!"

Lin Zhichao choked, Americans are all country people, so he is not from the slums.

"It's possible, but it's going to be run by a professional manager, so if you go, you can only be the mother of the shareholder." Lin Zhichao said.

He knew that Ella was a little worried, thinking that Lin Zhichao was lying to her daughter.

"I don't want to run the company, and I don't want to interfere in the company's affairs."

(End of this chapter)