It was most fatal if ships broke down in the Arctic Ocean, and many accidents in the history of the Arctic had been caused by stopping there too long.
Fortunately, the temperature was relatively high at this season, so there was no need to worry about freezing for the time being, and Li Du was prepared for emergencies. He took out the satellite phone and dialed a number which was given to him by Big Ford.
After waiting for a day and a half, they saw a powerful tugboat with a blue flag emblazoned with the letters FM Inc.
FreeportMcMoran Inc., or Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold, was one of the world's top ten integrated mining groups with mines worldwide, including subsidiaries in the Arctic.
The company, founded in 1912 to mine copper, gold and molybdenum, employed 35,000 people and had an annual output of about $24 billion. A fifth of the company was owned by the Ford family.