Chapter 128: Ghosts at Sea
Chapter 128: Ghosts at Sea
Chapter 128: Ghosts at Sea
As for the dismantled giant engine, Wu Hao had no intention of keeping it. Instead, he directly cut it up and disassembled it into various types of scrap metal. However, he didn't just throw away this scrap metal; he transferred it to a reserved cargo hold. This cargo hold was specifically set aside by Wu Hao for temporarily storing goods and his aircraft.
After completing the modification of the cargo ship's core power, Wu Hao rested for a day before continuing to focus on other aspects of the cargo ship's modification work.
In fact, there are only a few areas where this cargo ship needs to be modified. First and foremost is its power system. Since this cargo ship will be sailing in the sea for a long time and will need enough energy for seawater refinement and decomposition, industrial fundamentals, namely power, are essential.
Therefore, Wu Hao's first modification to the cargo ship is to establish a separate sealed compartment and assemble a fusion reactor to replace the ship's original diesel engine and traditional power generation mode.
Only after solving the cargo ship's energy and power systems can he proceed with the subsequent modifications.
Over the next few days, Wu Hao didn't rush to modify the cargo ship's seawater extraction and refinement system because this part occupies almost half of the ship's space, second only to the fusion reactor chamber.
Instead, after completing the assembly of the fusion reactor, Wu Hao temporarily set it aside and began to work on upgrading the cargo ship's satellite navigation and radar systems.
He naturally found the original radar and navigation devices on the cargo ship inadequate for his needs. Therefore, he first dismantled the ship's original electronic systems and radar devices and then reassembled and debugged them using various electronic components and parts he had brought from the base.
After nearly three days of busy work, the entire electronic system, satellite navigation, and radar detection equipment of the cargo ship were completely renewed.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the electronic systems, satellite navigation, and radar equipment on this cargo ship are much more advanced than those on the most advanced surface vessels in the world.
For example, the currently active naval radar devices in the world have a maximum detection range of about 300 kilometers on the sea surface, while the radar system installed by Wu Hao on the cargo ship has a range twice as long. As for satellite navigation and electronic systems, they are even more impressive.
However, in terms of satellite navigation, there wasn't much improvement. After all, Wu Hao is currently using civilian-grade navigation satellites, albeit discreetly.
Although with Wu Hao's current technology, he could easily manufacture a better navigation satellite system, getting it safely into space is another matter entirely.
After all, launching satellites into space cannot be hidden. With the capabilities of various countries around the world, launching a rocket into space from any corner of the Earth would be noticed.
So even if Wu Hao wants to launch his own satellite, it must be done through official channels. However, this is something he definitely cannot do domestically. Perhaps in the United States, he would have the opportunity to launch his own satellite legally. However, Wu Hao isn't in a rush for satellites at the moment.
After upgrading the cargo ship's electronic systems and navigation radar, its safety and secrecy have naturally been greatly enhanced.
Now, the cargo ship's navigation radar can detect other vessels hundreds of kilometers away and navigate to avoid them based on their trajectories.
In other words, unless the opponent uses satellites to detect in the sky, any warship or vessel on the sea surface cannot directly confront the cargo ship.
Even if satellites are used for reconnaissance, without the satellite coordinates of the cargo ship, searching directly using satellites in the vast Pacific Ocean is extremely difficult to imagine. This is not even considering natural factors such as weather. Therefore, unless the opponent obtains the satellite coordinates of the cargo ship, finding Wu Hao's cargo ship in the vast Pacific Ocean is currently highly unlikely.
And as for the satellite coordinates of the cargo ship, Wu Hao personally set them. Unless someone possesses computer hacking skills surpassing Wu Hao's, it would be impossible to crack the highly secretive coordinates he set.
"Now that my cargo ship is basically 'disappeared' from the world, let's call it the Ghost Ship!" With that thought, Wu Hao quickly gave his cargo ship a new name, completely ignoring its original English name.
Wu Hao bought this cargo ship from a shipping company located in Hawaii. Initially, this cargo ship departed from Hawaii and arrived in the bustling metropolis of Huaxia.
As for why this shipping company would sell this cargo ship, it's not difficult to explain. In recent years, the bulk carrier shipping business has become increasingly difficult. Many shipping companies either went bankrupt or listed their bulk carriers for sale at very low prices.
The reason Wu Hao's purchased ship could fetch $50 million is mainly because it's a relatively new ship, having been in service for less than two years. Additionally, the quality of the ship and its various equipment are superior to other bulk carriers of similar tonnage. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth $50 million.
For example, other bulk carriers of similar tonnage but with medium age are priced at over $10 million less than Wu Hao's ship. As for those with longer service years, they are either facing scrapping or are sold for a mere pittance, costing only a few million dollars.
It can be said that among the three types of ocean-going vessels with different purposes in the world, bulk carriers are much cheaper than container ships and oil tankers of similar tonnage. Some bulk carriers even cost less than half the price of a container ship or oil tanker of the same tonnage.
The reason why bulk carriers are cheaper than container ships and oil tankers of similar tonnage is because of their different uses. As the name suggests, oil tankers are large vessels specifically used to transport oil, with tonnages usually ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 tons, some even reaching 400,000 to 500,000 tons, making them massive giants.
Some container ships are also of similar scale. Bulk carriers with tonnages ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 tons are already considered large vessels.
For example, the Panama-class cargo ship purchased by Wu Hao has a maximum carrying capacity of 65,000 tons, which is relatively small among bulk carriers of its class. However, its actual displacement is close to 100,000 tons, and 65,000 tons is just its load maximum safe load.