Chapter 4 (Episode 2) "Initiative"
Tuesday, March 1, 1977 (Showa 52).
At 10:00 AM, the doors to the conference room, finished in heavy mahogany, were closed. Skyscrapers lined the view outside the window, and the distant bustle of the city could not reach this far.
Sitting around the table were Smith, the general manager of Annex, along with the executive in charge, McConney, Sengupta for the hull, and Turner for the engines. Ogata sat opposite them, with Murata and Orito on either side.
The exchange of business cards was brief.
As soon as the formal greetings were over, McConney cut to the chase.
"How far do you intend to take the basic design?"
The question was direct and contained a hint of a challenge. During a meeting with Ocean Shipping last year, Ogata had disclosed part of the forecastle and forward bridge plan. However, this was the first time he was showing it to Annex.
Ogata paused for a beat.
If he revealed his hand from the start, he would be playing right into their hands. He needed to grasp at least the outlines of how far their design had progressed.
Smith led the meeting.
He was young, but there was no hesitation in his eyes.
An engineering PhD from MIT—he organized the prerequisites for the review with a logic befitting that title. Ship type, cargo capacity, stability, engine layout. The discussion proceeded smoothly, and for about thirty minutes, they continued to probe each other.
In the flow of the conversation, Ogata focused on one point.
"At maximum, how many units can you guarantee?"
The atmosphere in the conference room changed slightly.
The four of them looked at each other and exchanged words in a rapid-fire manner.
Finally, Smith opened his mouth as if to build suspense.
"We—at a minimum, will guarantee "880 units."
At that moment, something snapped inside Ogata.
(It's here.)
Murata and Orito on either side must have felt the same thing. Their gazes gathered on Ogata in silence. The shipowner's request for an increase was merely a number that accounted for a margin. But Fusoh's design exceeded that.
Ogata sheathed his sword.
"Then—please take a look at this."
He signaled to Murata and took the A4 drawings out of the sealed envelope. Ogata stood up and spread the **G/A (General Arrangement)** in the center of the table.
The four of them followed the drawing from right to left.
The ship type itself was not much different from their basic plan.
However, their gazes naturally gathered on the right side—the forecastle.
"Oh my god..."
The honest reaction escaped Turner's lips unintentionally.
Smith and Sengupta also stood up and looked at each other's faces.
Their design was still in the initial stages. Before stepping into detailed examination, Fusoh had taken the lead. Two months since Ogata had come up with the idea. The results of spending the year-end and New Year holidays and redrawing it many times were right here.
(The initiative is ours.)
Ogata was convinced.
However, McConney's subsequent response was brilliant. He frankly acknowledged that Fusou's proposal was consistent with their own plans and offered to sign the contract as soon as possible.
A small to medium-sized Japanese shipyard entering a technical partnership with a global consultancy—
this was a development that exceeded Ogata's expectations.
The meeting continued until the following afternoon, delving even into the details of the machinery installation. All that remained was the final contract with Ocean Shipping. If everything went according to plan, it would be settled tomorrow.
Back at the hotel, Ogata organized the meeting notes and sent them to Tokyo via fax. It was 5:00 PM. The tension of the past few days eased, and the air in the room felt a little lighter.
(So far, it's going exactly as planned.)
Outside the window, the night in Manhattan was beginning to stir.
However, how long this sense of success would last—Ogata did not yet know the answer to that.
(To be continued)
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