Chapter 187: A Prime Opportunity to Expand Shipping
Arranging logistics was simple enough—Wei Zetao made one phone call and had everything sorted.
Then he said, "Mr. Yang, the Wilson cargo ship will arrive in Hong Kong the day after tomorrow."
"Mhm, that's about right," Yang Wendong nodded. "So when can we start using it for outbound shipments?"
Wei replied, "It still needs to undergo a mandatory inspection at a shipyard designated by the Hong Kong government. That'll take one to two weeks. It's a requirement for all cargo and oil ships registered in Hong Kong—an annual check.
Since this is a newly acquired vessel, it must pass inspection before registration can be finalized."
"That's actually not a bad thing," Yang nodded again. "The government's inspection will be more thorough than anything we could do ourselves."
While he had already hired a team of ship maintenance personnel—who were pretty skilled—they still couldn't compete with a full-fledged shipyard's professional crew.
The onboard team was primarily for emergency repairs while at sea. Any serious issues still needed drydock maintenance.
Wei continued, "Would you like to be there in person when the ship docks?"
"Of course. It's currently the most valuable asset I own," Yang said with a laugh. "Besides, its sudden arrival will definitely raise eyebrows. There's no way to keep it under wraps from the port authority or others."
In this era, ships represented the pinnacle of high-value assets in Hong Kong.
Even into the 1970s, Jardine Matheson had once attempted to trade a cargo ship for the iconic Connaught Centre (later known as Jardine House)—the tallest building in Hong Kong at the time.
The offer was refused, and decades later, the shipowner still regretted the missed deal.
Back in 1960, ship values far outpaced most commercial buildings in Central.
Being a shipowner came with more prestige than being a property tycoon.
"Understood. I'll arrange for it to dock at the Wharf pier in Kowloon," Wei said. "Once it's confirmed, I'll notify you right away."
"Good." Yang nodded. "Speak to An Yongqiang—he should have some useful connections there."
...
September 6 — Day of Arrival
Victoria Harbour. A corner of the Kowloon Wharf terminal. A crowd had gathered.
These were all people connected to Yang Wendong—early business partners, key employees at Changxing Industrial.
When they heard they could visit the new cargo ship, many jumped at the chance.
They'd all seen ships before, but never one that belonged to "their" company.
Getting to board a vessel of this size was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
By 10 a.m., the sun was already beating down hard. The crowd moved into the shade, but the heat was still intense.
"Everyone, help yourselves to some iced water." An Yongqiang arrived pushing a cart, complete with a small cooler.
Yang walked over with a smile. "Thanks, Mr. An."
"No need for thanks, Mr. Yang. Your presence here at Kowloon Wharf is a great honor for us. We hope you'll continue to favor our dock in the future."
"Of course," Yang replied readily. "If your team can make the process smoother for me, all the better. My exports always need to be loaded as quickly as possible."
An laughed, "No problem. From now on, whenever your ship docks, I'll assign staff immediately.
Your cargo is light and comes in uniform boxes—it's far easier than the heavy, awkward shipments we usually deal with."
Two years ago, An had the upper hand in their business relationship. Now, he was just glad he'd made the connection early.
As a senior manager at the port, An knew more than most. He'd seen Changxing's export volume skyrocket, especially the rolling suitcases shipping out to Japan in bulk—almost daily.
Now that Yang was personally buying a fleet of ships to expand into the American and European markets, An figured it wouldn't be long before Yang's empire outgrew the Wharf itself.
"Appreciate it," Yang said.
Everyone helped themselves to iced water and cooled off.
Soon, a familiar shape appeared on the horizon.
"There she is!" Wei exclaimed. "Mr. Yang, our ship is here!"
The rest lifted their binoculars—something Yang had asked them to bring along in advance so they could get a better look, both from afar and onboard later.
The ship slowly approached, but couldn't dock directly—every available berth was already occupied with loading and unloading activities.
An Yongqiang explained, "The port is very busy right now. Since your ship isn't scheduled for loading today, it can't dock yet. But we can take a small boat to board it."
"That's fine," Yang said.
In a world without containerization, loading and unloading cargo was incredibly time-consuming—sometimes more so than sailing across the ocean.
That's why a single port could support an entire city. It required a vast workforce, and no matter how large the dock was, it was never big enough for all the ships coming in and out.
The group boarded a small boat and climbed aboard the Wilson. The current (foreign) captain and future captain Sun Zhiwei were both there to welcome them.
After exchanging pleasantries, the foreign captain disembarked, and Sun took over the tour.
He led Yang and the others around. While none of them were experts, they were still fascinated to see everything up close.
Wei asked, "Old Sun, have you run the numbers? How many rolling suitcases can we load per trip?"
Sun replied, "Mr. Wei, Mr. Yang—I had the crew survey the ship's interior and cross-check with the schematics. We estimate a max capacity of 66,000 suitcases."
"66,000?" Wei turned to Yang. "That's not a huge number. A round trip to the U.S.—even at high speed—still takes nearly two months."
Yang nodded. "And our current monthly output is around 200,000, right?"
"Yes," Wei confirmed. "And we're still scaling up. I'm already in talks with a few partners to co-invest in additional factories.
By early next year, production will reach at least 400,000 units.
Right now, most of the exports go to Japan and nearby Asian countries. Because the destinations are spread out, we're using regular cargo services via other companies' ships."
"Mhm. For Asia, that's fine. But for the U.S. and Europe, we need to consolidate everything ourselves," Yang said.
"Exactly," Wei agreed. "One ship alone won't keep up with demand—especially in the U.S.
Feedback from 3M has been fantastic. Rolling suitcase sales there are already taking off."
"So we'll need to keep buying ships," Yang nodded. "Keep an eye on the global market. See what cargo ships are available."
"Understood. I'll have our international agents look into it," Wei said. "Old Sun, you've got your own network—can you check as well?"
"Absolutely." Sun paused. "Actually, I know of a great opportunity. The U.S. government is planning to sell off some emergency cargo ships built during WWII."
"World War II-era ships?" Yang's thoughts immediately jumped to crude, rush-built wartime vessels. "What's their condition like?"
"Not great," Sun admitted. "Back then, the U.S. was racing against time. These ships were built for short-term use—many were expected to be sunk within a year or two.
Quality wasn't a major concern."
Wei asked, "So can they still be used?"
"They can," Sun said. "But they'll need constant maintenance and frequent inspections.
Their engines are from the early 1940s—likely outdated even then. Fuel consumption is very high. Only a handful of niche operators are buying them.
The U.S. is practically giving them away—cheaper than scrap value. Dismantling them would cost even more."
"High fuel costs I can deal with. But are they safe?" Yang asked.
Fuel efficiency wasn't ideal, but he could live with it. What mattered was whether the ship was seaworthy.
Waiting for better secondhand ships—or especially new builds—would take far too long. As long as they were safe, the rest was just money.
"No major safety issues," Sun replied. "Even during the war, the Americans prioritized safety.
We can always hire a third-party agency to inspect the ships thoroughly."
"Alright," Yang nodded. "How long do you think these ships can last?"
Even if he was in a rush, he didn't want to buy something that would break down within a year.
"Usually, these ships are scrapped after 20–30 years," Sun said. "But in our case, we might get more life out of them."
"How so?" Yang asked, puzzled.
"Because our outbound cargo is light," Sun explained. "The hull will be full, but the suitcases themselves are almost empty. That puts minimal strain on the engines and frame."
Wei shook his head. "That's only true on the outbound trip. On the return, we'll be hauling plastic pellets or other materials."
"Exactly," Yang nodded.
Even with the Formosa investment, the new plastic plant would take time. Until then, he planned to continue importing raw materials from overseas.
Even after the Taiwanese supply came online, it'd be wasteful to sail back empty.
"Understood," Sun said. "But even so, having half the journey under light load will help extend the ship's life.
And the price is unbeatable. It's almost as if these ships were made for us."
"Makes sense," Yang nodded. "I'll look into it. For now, focus on getting this ship through inspection. Once that's done, we'll finalize the transfer."
"Got it," Sun replied. "No problem."
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