Chapter 10

No one spoke, but the people's eyes sparkled slightly and quietly changed. I could feel the atmosphere in the bridge subtly shifting.

Seamanship!

In our country, it was translated as the strange term 'Seafarer's Business,' but it was a phrase that didn't resonate with me at all.

But now that I've been on a ship, I understand.

Seamanship is a word that seafarers carry in their hearts.

For some reason, a strong bond and sense of community have formed among seafarers worldwide since ancient times.

No matter the nationality or race, a deep bond that transcends barriers and boundaries has been formed among seafarers.

The camaraderie among sailors.

That's what seamanship is.

"Captain! The second officer is right!"

Kim Ho-yeong, the second officer, who had been standing quietly in the corner, also stepped forward, riding the wave of the atmosphere.

He had intended to remain silent, but he must have felt that his presence was too weak if he didn't say something.

In my past life, he was remembered as a good senior who took good care of me, but now he seemed much more timid and indecisive than I remembered.

But even that made him seem cute to me.

'He's still young, after all.'

This might be due to the improved ability to read people I've developed in this life, different from my past life.

As I stared at him with various thoughts, the second officer's face turned slightly red, embarrassed.

The captain said, "Is that so? Do you agree, Second Officer?"

"Yes, Captain! We can't guarantee that we won't face such a situation at sea. We need to help each other."

The captain's lips curved into a gentle smile as he looked at the officers.

The captain turned his head and looked at the chief engineer and engineers who were watching us from a corner of the bridge. The chief engineer also nodded and smiled when their eyes met.

The captain nodded slightly at the chief engineer, made up his mind, and then shouted loudly, "Alright! From now on, we will rescue distressed ships!"

"Yay!"

The people on the bridge cheered together at the captain's words.

The captain began to give rapid instructions to the surrounding crew.

"Second Officer, we will operate the ship under emergency procedures from now on."

"Yes, Captain."

"Have the off-duty crew rest immediately, and have the officers check the rescue equipment with the on-duty crew."

"Yes!"

"Third Officer, how long is the expected duration of the tsunami?"

"From the training I received, it's about 10 hours for a tsunami of this scale."

"Right. Officers, follow the Second Officer's instructions and thoroughly check the rescue equipment within 5 hours. We might need to use lifeboats and life rafts, so check the life-saving equipment as well."

"Yes! Understood."

"Chief Engineer, the sea will be rough. Please ensure the engine room conducts the necessary checks."

"Understood."

The chief engineer nodded at the captain and began giving instructions to the engineers and crew.

The captain continued, looking around the bridge.

"Rescuing other ships is important, but the most important thing is the safety of our ship."

"Yes!"

"Prioritize the safety of our ship in all rescue operations!"

"Yes! Understood."

"We will start the rescue operation after everyone has had sufficient rest."

"Yes!"

After the captain finished speaking, the boatswain began gathering the crew and giving instructions.

The veteran crew members organized the people and quickly left the bridge. There was a lot to prepare.

The experienced crew of this ship already knew what needed to be done without the captain giving detailed instructions.

The people who had filled the bridge were now flowing out like a tide.

I stood quietly on the bridge, looking out at the sea.

Since my watch wasn't over yet, I needed to stay here on the bridge.

Looking down at the deck, I saw the crew members running around quickly.

They were gathering equipment and preparing the rarely used rescue equipment and tools from the warehouse.

"Still, sailors are sailors, aren't they?"

It's not an easy task, and it's not something they have to do.

But because of the camaraderie among sailors, the crew members were all moving busily.

A small smile appeared on my face as I watched them.

My right-hand man, my loyal subordinate, the helmsman Joseph, approached me.

"Third Officer, you're the best! Sir."

Joseph raised his thumb at me again.

'Does he only know how to say that?'

Looking at Joseph's bright smile, I thought I should teach him some Korean.

But there was something curious.

'But he's really quick on the uptake.'

For some reason, Joseph's eyes were filled with admiration, and they were sparkling more than usual today.

* * *

– Bridge of the ship "M.V. Venus"

A few hours later.

The bridge of the ship was filled with the captain and all the officers, even those not on duty.

My feelings on the bridge were different from my past life, as the ship was now in a safe state.

This ship, where I served as a junior officer, was one of the ships I had the most affection for among those I served on in my past life.

It felt strangely nostalgic to be back on this ship after regressing to the past.

The ship named "M.V. Venus" is one of the container ships operated by Hae Shin Shipping.

M.V. stands for Motor Vessel, and it is customary to name ships after women, although this practice is becoming less common recently.

M.V. Venus is a large container ship of 4,800 TEU, operating on the route between Asia and Europe.

Generally, the size of container ships is classified by the number of 20-foot containers they can carry.

M.V. Venus, being a 4,800 TEU ship, means it can carry approximately 4,800 20-foot containers.

However, since the late 2000s, competition among shipping companies has become extremely intense.

This was due to the shipping boom that began in the early 2000s, which led to shipping companies in various countries focusing on expanding their fleets.

As competition among container shipping companies intensified, shipping companies began to significantly increase the size of container ships.

This competition eventually led to a crisis in the shipping industry.

Within a few years, global shipping companies began deploying container ships of 10,000 TEU or larger on major routes.

This marked the beginning of a major upheaval in the global shipping market.

Ships like M.V. Venus, which are 4,800 TEU, were built in the 1990s and are now considered mid-sized, but they are still reliable ships operating on major routes.

They are like the underdogs of the shipping world.

Ships built around the same time as M.V. Venus are actively serving on various major routes for Hae Shin Shipping.

With a contemplative expression, I stood on the bridge of M.V. Venus, looking out at the sea, when Captain Lee Hee-young approached me.

"Third Officer, what are you thinking so deeply about?"

"Ah! Captain, I was just thinking that this voyage is quite dynamic."

"Is that so? Whose fault is that? Hehehe."

I blushed slightly at the captain's words.

"Still, it's fortunate, right? You can continue to earn money for your daughter's college tuition."

"Yes, you'll have to keep working until she gets married."

"You're telling me to keep sailing until I'm old and die."

I didn't answer the captain's words and smiled slightly.

'In this life, that's how it will be. No, I'll make it that way.'

I resolved in my heart as I looked at Captain Lee Hee-young.

Captain Lee Hee-young finished the conversation and walked to the front of the bridge.

He held binoculars and, along with the others, kept a vigilant watch on the front, not letting his guard down.

We had completed the rescue preparations in case of a maritime disaster and started sailing quickly.

Fortunately, the waves were not too large, so we could sail quickly.

Another fortunate point was that container ships are faster than other types of ships.

Container ships, which transport containerized cargo, are generally faster than bulk carriers or oil tankers.

Bulk carriers, which transport bulk cargo like iron ore or grain, and tankers like oil tankers, have an average speed of about 15 to 16 knots.

In contrast, container ships and car carriers boast an average speed of about 24 to 26 knots, which is about 44 to 48 kilometers per hour.

We were sailing at the fastest speed possible given the sea conditions, adjusting our speed to match the port schedule.

The crew on the bridge, including Captain Lee Hee-young, were carefully watching the front and keeping a close eye on the radar to detect any special signals.

Although we were concerned about sailing into the area where the tsunami occurred, it was not so severe that we couldn't navigate.

At that moment, the second officer, who was on watch, shouted loudly.

"Captain, I can see something in the front, but it's too far to identify clearly."

At the second officer's shout, everyone on the bridge tensed up and raised their binoculars, focusing on the front.

Captain Lee Hee-young looked at the second officer.

"Second Officer, can you observe the ship's movement?"

"There's no significant movement. It might be stranded or capsized."

"Are there any lifeboats or life rafts around the ship?"

"No, there aren't."

The first officer, Yang Hwa-jong, went outside the bridge, raised his binoculars, and looked at the front. After a while, he turned back and shouted.

"Captain! It looks like a yacht. It's quite large, so it seems to be a high-end yacht. The bottom of the boat is above the water, indicating it has capsized."

"Are there any survivors around?"

"There's no noticeable movement."

A capsized ship means the ship has flipped over, and that implies the people inside are in danger.

'Yacht?'

I was startled by the word "yacht." It might be the person I'm looking for.

I went outside the bridge and adjusted my binoculars. There was no noticeable movement around the yacht.

From the way it bobbed with the waves, it seemed to be a high-end yacht.

Since such high-end yachts are not common, it seemed quite possible.

Captain Lee Hee-young, who was looking at the front, said quietly.

"Third Officer, prepare the crew. It seems the yacht has capsized."

"Yes, Captain."

M.V. Venus was quickly approaching the yacht.

When the distance to the yacht was almost gone, the second officer shouted urgently from inside the bridge.

"Captain! Another distress signal!"

"Distress signal?"

"Yes, it's too far to identify clearly with the naked eye, but a cargo ship appears to be tilting behind the yacht."

"VHF (a type of radio communication device)?"

"I'll check."

"First Officer, what about the ship's stability?"

"The ship seems to be tilting significantly. It appears to have lost its stability!"

The second officer, who was watching the front, continued.

"I can see shadows on the deck. People from the cargo ship are all on the deck. They might be trying to jump off before the ship completely capsizes!"

"Can you see any lifeboats?"

"I can't confirm."

The first officer approached the captain with an urgent expression.

"Captain, should we increase our speed to rescue the people on the cargo ship quickly?"

The captain nodded at the first officer's words.

The captain and the first officer judged that rescuing the cargo ship was more urgent than the yacht, which showed no movement.

It seemed they planned to pass by the yacht to rescue the cargo ship.

At that moment.

< Ding! >

+

<Starting a hidden quest.>

"There is a VIP in danger. Rescue the VIP!"

Sub-quest: Rescue

Clear condition: Rescue the VIP in danger

Time limit: Until the VIP survives

Reward: Reputation + 25, ??? (revealed upon completion)

Failure: ???

+

As expected, just as I predicted.