Rough seas are nothing new. Ships carrying timber are nothing new. What is new is the crappiness of security of deck cargo.
Most professional seafarers that were trained in this country knew all about the dangers (both physical and stability-wise) of deck cargoes.....particularily "timber" ones. For reasons too complicated to go into here, it would be accepted that a ship with a deck cargo of timber would arrive at it's destination port with a "list" (some small, some massive). Although primitive compared to modern practice the securing systems worked. Side caging and secure lashing. Simple. I will go back to the opening sentence. Rough seas are nothing new. Modern practice has to learn from the past, and get it right again. BY.