Vapor-liquid contacting apparatuses comprising a primary contacting zone and a secondary contacting zone are disclosed. A representative secondary contacting zone is a secondary absorption zone, such as a finishing zone for subsequent contacting of the vapor effluent from the primary contacting zone to further remove impurities and achieve a desired purity of purified gas exiting the secondary absorption zone. The secondary contacting zone is disposed below the primary contacting zone, such that the secondary contacting zone, which must operate efficiently in removing generally trace amounts of remaining impurities, is more protected from movement than the more elevated, primary or initial contacting stages for bulk impurity removal. The apparatuses are therefore especially beneficial in offshore applications where they are subjected to rocking.