A couple things showed up in my timelines today. First was this rather dramatic video of a large container ship rolling 40 degrees to one side in a noreaster in the North Atlantic.
The second was this article of shippers whining because they now have to weigh containers.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/exporters-wary-as-shipping-safety-rule-kicks-in-1467319585
I’m sorry, but I have to go with seamen and ship owners on this one. Knowing how to distribute load is crucial when the ship is in bad weather conditions and subject to roll. If the metacentric height is changed dramatically the ship could founder like the El Faro did last year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ship-elfaro-idUSKCN0YI271
The stresses on a ship can be high in rough weather.
Even one overloaded container in the wrong place could create a situation where a bad roll could put enough stress on a ship that it could break in half.
Cargo loading is no joke and weighing containers should have been mandatory a long time ago.
The Arts Mechanical 