Salvaging some barrels from the sea? Just another day.
Salvaging some barrels from the sea in the dead of night, with no backup? That's a different story...

The company's ship lost some cargo at sea, picking it up before the scavengers is the only reasonable thing to do. A dog watch (dead-of-night shift) is by far the worst time for such work. Given your partner is nowhere to be found you set off by yourself. 
Left alone, on a small boat, you have only one job to do: Pick up all the cargo barrels...