At least one section of structured packing characterised in that: (a) the length of said section is from about 1 m to about 6 m; and (b) the specific surface area of the structured packing of said section is greater than 500 m 2 /m 3 , is used in a vapour/liquid contact column operating in locations where environmental conditions adversely affect steady state operation of said column to reduce maldistribution of liquid in said column under motion. The structured packing section has particular application offshore on a buoyant platform where tilt of the column out of vertical alignment due to the rolling motion of the platform can significantly affect the efficiency of the column.