[Tabular-Iceberg]

Forged certificates is indeed a problem in the latter countries, but whether Danish, Chinese, Indian or Filipino, they're all told by a computer where to put each container.

Some blame may lie with those who tell the computer how tall it should stack the containers, but another big problem in shipping is that stevedores in many ports simply can't be bothered to secure the cargo according to the instructions. Deck officers (even western ones) don't take the problem seriously, leave port in an unseaworthy state, and leave the able-bodied seamen with the dangerous task of re-lashing everything under way. That is if they can even reach the cargo, which is less likely on a container ship.

[bkor]

> Some blame may lie with those who tell the computer how tall it should stack the containers

Computers do NOT make the stowage layout. The stowage layout is the responsibility of stowage planners. The captain of the ship has final say. There are various computer programs that assist with the stowage layout. However, they are _not_ sufficient. If you'd take out the stowage planner the shipping company would have a lot of additional costs. These programs do help to check for loads of problems, plus the initial inefficient stowage plan.

How tall something is stacked is too simplistic. What matters is that it isn't stacked as a box. Further, certain twist locks cannot handle too much wind.

Source: used to sit next to a stowage planner, who'd be in the office around 1x/month. The planner mostly talked during these visits.

[Tabular-Iceberg]

I agree with everything you say.

>Computers do NOT make the stowage layout. The stowage layout is the responsibility of stowage planners.

Yes, that's what I meant by "those who tell the computer..."

>how tall something is stacked is too simplistic.

And that's why I went on to expand on the dynamics of timetables, third party contractors and the correct execution of lashing instructions.

It's true that the captain has the final say, but realistically for large ships and the combinatorial explosion that comes with them the captain and his deck officers simply doesn't have time to check and correct the work of either the stowage planners or the stevedores. Even if they are all western Europeans and Americans with genuine documents.