216: Chapter Two Hundred and Fourteen: Partner 216: Chapter Two Hundred and Fourteen: Partner As the oil tanker sailed out of the dangerous waters and contacted the transfer ship anchored in international waters, it halted, waiting for a small boat from the transfer ship to pick up Gao Yang and his group of six to board the transfer ship.
The so-called transfer ship was a reluctant choice.
The main reason crew members of commercial ships lack the ability to resist pirates, apart from being civilians, is due to international conventions that prevent the possession of weapons aboard commercial ships.
If a cargo ship stays in international waters, it can be equipped with missiles and cannons without anyone caring.
However, the moment it enters a port of another country and weapons are discovered on board, it would cause serious trouble.
The same applies to armed escorts.
In international waters, armed escorts can use any kind of weapon, but they can’t bring weapons ashore or enter the territorial waters of a country, not to mention ports.
If one doesn’t intend to obey the law, carrying weapons at sea wouldn’t be an issue, but maritime armed escorts are ultimately a legal and highly scrutinized profession.
Consequently, armed escorts also have to comply with legal constraints and cannot bring firearms ashore.
To solve this predicament, transfer ships came into existence.
Transfer ships are always anchored in international waters and privately operated.
Armed escorts board and disembark from commercial ships in areas close to the main sea lanes in international waters, rather than having to do so in the ports.
Not only do transfer ships circumvent legal issues, they’re also more convenient.
Transfer ships are stationed in areas not threatened by pirates.
Once the threat is gone, the commercial ships can simply drop off the armed escorts without having to take them all the way to the destination port.
The transfer ship for Gao Yang and his group was an old cruiser with a displacement of two thousand tons that had been repurposed.
After reaching out to the transfer ship, a small boat was sent to pick them up and bring them back to the transfer ship.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Having said goodbye to the escorting oil tanker, they boarded the small boat around three in the morning.
Once Gao Yang climbed up the specially constructed gangway onto the transfer ship, he had just reached the deck when he heard someone shouting, “You’re finally back.
According to my estimate, you should have returned two hours ago.
You didn’t run into any trouble, did you?”
The speaker was a middle-aged man in his forties, named Antoncel Coulthard, a Scot with American citizenship, who was also the partner for Gao Yang’s team this time.
Antoncel had worked his way up from being a sailor to first mate and then finally achieved his life goal of becoming a captain.
However, less than two years after becoming a captain, Antoncel resigned from the shipping company he had served for a long time.
His refusal to continue as a captain was largely related to an encounter with pirates in the Gulf of Aden that almost resulted in him and his ship being kidnapped.
There were armed security team members on board Antoncel’s ship at that time, but the situation they faced differed.
More than twenty pirate skiffs surrounded the ship as the pirates prepared to board.
Seeing the pirates’ superior numbers, the four armed guards thought about surrendering since Somali pirates adhere to the principle of preferring ransom over taking lives.
Even if they surrendered, the crew wouldn’t be in mortal danger, and the security personnel were likely to be released by the pirates.
Thus, after firing a few shots to provoke random gunfire from the pirates, the four security guards ceased fire and waited for the pirates to board.
Luckily, at the critical moment, a helicopter dispatched from a warship broke the siege on Antoncel’s vessel, preventing Antoncel from falling into the hands of pirates.
The shaken and stimulated Antoncel saw a business opportunity from his experience and resolved to switch careers immediately.
Antoncel, no longer a ship captain, decided to establish a maritime security company.
Although he was completely new to the security and defense industry, Antoncel had his own advantages.
Having spent his lifetime sailing, he knew many people and could easily secure business.
Even if he could only get the contracts from the shipping company he had previously worked for, it was enough to make him a lot of money.
Antoncel had no staff of his own, nor did he understand the ins and outs of the security and defense industry, but he knew Little Donnie’s father.
Thus, Antoncel naturally connected with Little Donnie, and thereafter things proceeded smoothly, with Gao Yang and his five comrades becoming Antoncel’s partners.
Antoncel was responsible for securing contracts and took care of Gao Yang and his team’s living arrangements on the transfer ship, while Gao Yang and the others were in charge of the use of force.
As for the money earned, it was split evenly between both parties.
Then, they would each give five percent of the total amount to Little Donnie.
The reason why both Gao Yang and Antoncel gave five percent of their earnings to Little Donnie was that the security company Antoncel had established was not legally registered, nor did it join the international NGO, the Maritime Security Association (SAMI).
In essence, it was a mercenary operation under the guise of a maritime security company.
Only by operating in such a manner could they remain unrestricted by law and not bound by the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICOC), otherwise, Antoncel could not make absolute guarantees about the safety of merchant ships when securing contracts.
Gao Yang and his team had an agreement with Little Donnie that if Little Donnie found them a job, they had to give him five percent.
Since Antoncel’s company was not legal and he needed to securely transfer the money to his account, he required Little Donnie to launder the money, hence Antoncel also had to give Little Donnie five percent.
Cooperating with Antoncel was very pleasant.
Antoncel was indeed a good man.
Unlike typical ship captains of maritime origin who always cursed and couldn’t live without alcohol, Antoncel always had a smile on his face and took great care of Gao Yang and his team.
Whenever Gao Yang and his team returned from a mission, no matter the time, Antoncel would be there waiting to welcome them.
Only when he saw that Gao Yang and the rest had returned safely could Antoncel be at ease.
Gao Yang smiled at Antoncel and said, “We ran into a little trouble, hardly worth calling trouble, actually.
Encountered some clueless pirates, and we scared them off.”
Antoncel glanced at the line of people standing behind Gao Yang.
After confirming that no one was injured, Antoncel nodded and said, “It’s good that no one was hurt.
Next time something like this happens, give me a call to let me know you’re safe.”
At that moment, Cui Bo spoke with a chuckle, “Captain, you don’t need to worry about us.
We’re not children, and you’re not a fretting wife waiting for her husband to return home.
Take my advice, don’t stay up waiting for us next time.”
Antoncel replied with a wry smile, “I’ve been a first mate for too many years, a role that involves worrying.
I can’t sleep at all if I don’t make sure everything I’m responsible for is arranged properly.
I’m afraid this habit of mine won’t change anytime soon.
Alright, now let me ask about the pirates you encountered.
Were they a group claiming to be Skull Gang?
You guys have been away from this transfer ship for a few days, and during these days, there’s been constant talk about this suddenly emerging Skull Gang on the transfer ships.
From what I gather of the Brits’ intention, they seem to be planning some big move.”
(To be continued.
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