Dear Captain. Not a single sentence was mentioned here about the regulations, but only about the good maritime practice that has been used for years. The comparison of timber transported in the form of logs with sawn timber is extremely inaccurate. Coniferous wood logs (spruce, pine, thuja) immediately after cutting have a moisture content (average) of about 35 to 40%. Those cut down in winter up to 30%, and in summer even 45 to 50%. Such logs often reach ports within a month or two of being cut. During this time, the percentage of water drops slightly. The moisture content of spruce and pine lumber loaded onto ships is 12 to 14%. It is true what you wrote about cargo booking. Yes , the carrier gives the amount of cargo using units of volume , not weight . The requirements of the shippers regarding the method of cargo securing are closely related to the conditions set by insurance companies. I remember that in the first years of the 21st century, in one of the Scandinavian ports, the necessity of ADDITIONAL protection of the deck cargo against moisture was strictly observed. The shipper's representative always checked the condition of the tarpaulins before the ship went to sea. From the perspective of 40 years spent at sea and based on the baggage of knowledge gained during this time, I can only say that in working at sea it is better to be overly cautious than tolerating unnecessary risks associated with haste, laziness or excessive faith in one's own luck. Haste is advisable when catching fleas. I am sending greeting and I wish you good luck .

Dear WUKA54,
Thanks again for your clarifications. Unfortunately, we quickly passed oncoming courses with this ship and I managed to take only a couple of general shots. On the basis of which it is difficult to say for sure about the presence of polythene.
Kind regards, Vladimir

Lumber loaded in Scandinavian countries, Germany (Europe) or Canada is usually (but not always) packed and foiled by the manufacturer. Similar cargoes taken by ships from the ports of the former Soviet Union (in my case it was mainly Riga and sometimes Tallinn or Russia's St. Petersburg) are usually delivered without protective foil. Construction timber in packages - loaded in these ports is (very often) impregnated with anti-fungal and anti-insect preparations - wood pests. The impregnation makes the wood heavier and it happens that the ship takes less cargo than planned by the shipper. The reason is that (for example) after loading the second layer on the open deck (hatch covers), the stability calculated by the C/O indicates that it is not possible to load additional packages of lumber as a third layer. No one - even the most experienced in the transport of this type of cargoes - is able to predict the amount of moisture that unprotected wood will absorb during the journey, and therefore the lumber MUST be protected with tarpaulins (regardless of whether packages with boards are foiled or not). Where the regulations do not precisely specify duties at sea, GOOD MARINE PRACTICE ( SEAMANSHIP ) MUST (as you mentioned) apply ( - )
As for the photographs ... Based on what I can see , I am not able to determine the presence of foil on the cargo packages .
Regards .
Waldek

Hello Volker ;
For several years I served as Chief Mate on the ships of British shipowners, carrying loads of lumber from the ports of Sweden, Latvia and Germany to England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Covering the load with tarpaulins before putting on superlashings, especially in winter and in windy weather, is very hard work. Often charterers dont like to pay their crews extra for it. In my case that was the case , but ... it was unthinkable for a ship to go to sea with its cargo not properly secured . On a coaster with a total length of about 90 meters , the operation of covering with tarpaulins and securing with superlashes usually took over 4 hours ( 6 people ) in nice weather . In winter , with strong winds and temperatures close to 0 degrees Celsius , it was an operation that often lasted up to 6 hours . Usually loading was from 8 am to 4 or 5 pm. Later, the above-mentioned works, exit maneuvers and... (for me (C/Officer) - sea watch until 06:00 in the busy Kattegat. Despite being tired, no one even thought to take a risk and go to sea with unsecured cargo.
I'm sorry, but when I see pictures like this, my blood boils.
The sea does not forgive negligence and neglect of duties. Too many of my good friends have found out...
Best regards.
Waldema