Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932

RULE I Definitions.

• Steamer.—The term " steamer " includes all ships having sufficient means for mechanical propulsion, except where provided with sufficient sail area for navigation under sails alone.

  A ship fitted with mechanical means of propulsion and with sail area insufficient for navigation under sails alone may be assigned a load line under Part III of these Rules.

  A lighter, barge or other ship without independent means of propulsion, when towed, is to be assigned a load line under Part III of these Rules.

• Sailing Ship.—The term " sailing ship " includes all ships provided with sufficient sail area for navigation under sails alone, whether or not fitted with mechanical means of propulsion.

• Flush Deck Ship.—A flush deck ship is one which has no superstructure on the freeboard deck.

• Superstructure.—A superstructure is a decked structure on the freeboard deck extending from side to side of the ship. A raised quarter deck is considered a superstructure.

• Freeboard.—The freeboard assigned is the distance measured vertically downwards at the (ride of the ship amidships from the upper edge of the deck line to the upper edge of the load line mark.

• Freeboard Deck.—The freeboard deck is the deck from which the freeboard is measured, and is the uppermost complete deck having permanent means of closing all openings in weather portions of the deck in accordance with Rules VIII to )(VI. It is the upper deck in flush deck ships and ships with detached superstructures.

  In ships having discontinuous freeboard decks within superstructures which are not intact, or which are not fitted with Class 1 closing appliances, the lowest line of the deck below the superstructure deck is taken as the freeboard deck.

• Amidships.—Amidships is the middle of the length of the summer load water-line, as denned in Rule XXXII.