Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932

48 Duration, renewal and cancellation of certificates.

(1) Every load line certificate issued by or under the authority of the Board of Trade shall, unless it is renewed in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, expire at the end of such period, not exceeding five years from the date of its issue, as may be specified therein.

(2) Any such load line certificate may, after a survey not less effective than the survey required by the load line rules before the issue of the certificate, be renewed from time to time by the Board of Trade, or by any person authorised by the Board to issue a load line certificate, for such period (not exceeding five years on any occasion) as the Board of Trade or other person renewing the certificate thinks fit.

(3) The Board of Trade shall cancel any such load line certificate in force in respect of a ship, if they have reason to believe that—

(a) material alterations have taken place in the hull or superstructures of the ship which affect the position of the load lines; or

(b) the fittings and appliances for the protection of openings, the guard rails, the freeing ports or the means of access to the crew's quarters have not been maintained on the ship in as effective a condition as they were in when the certificate was issued.

(4) The owner of every ship in respect of which any such certificate has been issued shall, so long as the certificate remains in force, cause the ship to be surveyed in the prescribed manner once at least in each year after the issue of the certificate for the purpose of seeing whether the certificate should remain in force, having regard to the last foregoing subsection, and if the ship is not so surveyed, the Board of Trade shall cancel the certificate:

Provided that the Board, if they think fit in any particular case, may extend the said period of one year.

(5) Where any such load line certificate has expired or been cancelled, the Board of Trade may require the owner or master of the ship to which the certificate relates to deliver up the certificate as they direct, and the ship may be detained until such requirement has been complied with, and if the owner or master fails without reasonable cause to comply with such requirement, he shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.

(6) On the survey of any ship in pursuance of this section there shall be paid by the owner of the ship such fee as may be prescribed.