Merchant Shipping Act 1995

14 (1) Where a non-United Kingdom ship to which this Schedule applies is within any port in the United Kingdom, and is marked with load lines, the ship shall not be so loaded that—

(a) if the ship is in salt water and has no list, the appropriate load line on each side of the ship is submerged, or

(b) in any other case, the appropriate load line on each side of the ship would be submerged if the ship were in salt water and had no list.

(2) Sub-paragraphs (2), (3), (5) and (6) of paragraph 4 of this Schedule shall have effect for the purposes of this paragraph as if any reference in those sub-paragraphs to sub-paragraph (1) of that paragraph, or to sub-paragraph (1)(a) or (b) of that paragraph, were a reference to sub-paragraph (1), or (as the case may be) to the corresponding provision of sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph, subject, however, to sub-paragraph (3) below.

(3) In the case of a ship to which paragraph 12 of this Schedule applies, the ship shall not be detained, and no proceedings shall be brought by virtue of sub-paragraph (2) above, unless the ship has been inspected by a ship surveyor or engineer surveyor in pursuance of paragraph 17 of this Schedule.

(4) In relation to a ship in respect of which a valid Convention certificate is produced, “load line” in sub-paragraph (1) above means a line marked on the ship in the position of a load line specified in that certificate; and for the purposes of the application of the relevant provisions to such a ship in any circumstances for which a particular load line is specified in the certificate, the “appropriate load line” means the load line which, in accordance with the certificate, indicates the maximum depth to which the ship may be loaded in salt water in those circumstances.

(5) Where a valid Convention certificate is not produced in respect of a ship, then, for the purposes of the application of the relevant provisions to that ship in any circumstances prescribed by the load line rules in accordance with paragraph 2(2)(d) of this Schedule, “the appropriate load line” means the load line which, in accordance with those rules, indicates the maximum depth to which the ship may be loaded in salt water in those circumstances.

(6) In sub-paragraphs (4) and (5) above “the relevant provisions” means the provisions of sub-paragraph (1) above and any provisions of paragraph 4 of this Schedule as applied by sub-paragraph (2) above.