The Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Regulations 1998

PART III LOAD LINES AND MARKS

Marking

15.—(1) The load line directed to be marked on the ship pursuant to regulation 7(2)(b), the deckline and the load line mark shall be marked on each side of the ship in accordance with the directions of the Assigning Authority and the requirements of this Part.

(2) Where an Exemption Certificate is issued in association with the assignment of special freeboards which are less than those required by regulation 29, the ship shall be marked in accordance with regulation 22(4).

Deck-line

16.—(1) The deck-line shall consist of a horizontal line 300 millimetres in length and 25 millimetres in width and shall be marked amidships on each side of the ship so as to indicate the position of the freeboard deck.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the deck-line shall be marked in such a position on the side of the ship that its upper edge passes through the point amidships where the continuation outwards of the upper surface of the freeboard deck, or of any sheathing of that deck, intersects the outer surface of the shell of the ship as shown in Figure 1.

(3) Where the design of the ship, or other circumstances, render it impracticable to mark the deck-line in accordance with paragraph (2) the Assigning Authority may direct that it be marked by reference to another fixed point as near as practicable to the position described in paragraph (2).

Load line mark

17.  The load line mark as shown in Figure 2 shall consist of a ring 300 millimetres in outside diameter and 25 millimetres wide, intersected by a horizontal line 450 millimetres long and 25 millimetres wide the upper edge of which passes through the centre of the ring. The centre of the ring shall be marked amidships vertically below the deck-line so that, except as otherwise provided in regulation 31, the distance from the centre of the ring to the upper edge of the deck-line is equal to the Summer freeboard assigned to the ship.

Load lines

18.—(1) Except as otherwise provided for in paragraph (3), the load lines shown in Figure 2 shall consist of horizontal lines of 230 millimetres in length and 25 millimetres in width extending forward or abaft of a vertical line 25 millimetres in width marked 540 millimetres forward of the centre of the ring of the load line mark and at right angles to that line. The individual load lines shall be as follows—

(a) the Summer load line, which shall extend forward of the said vertical line, and shall correspond horizontally with the line passing through the centre of the ring of the load line mark, and shall be marked S;

(b) the Winter load line, which shall extend forward of the vertical line, and be marked W;

(c) the Winter North Atlantic load line, which shall extend forward of the vertical line, and be marked WNA;

(d) the Tropical load line, which shall extend forward of the vertical line, and be marked T;

(e) the Fresh Water load line, which shall extend abaft the vertical line, and be marked F; and

(f) the Tropical Fresh Water load line, which shall extend abaft the vertical line and be marked TF.

(2) The maximum depth to which a ship may be loaded in relation to a load line referred to in paragraph (1) shall be the depth indicated by the upper edge of the appropriate load line.

(3) In the case of a sailing ship—

(a) the Summer load line shall consist of the line passing through the centre of the ring of the load line mark; and

(b) the Winter North Atlantic load line and Fresh Water load line only shall be marked on the ship as shown in Figure 3.

Timber load lines

19.—(1) Timber load lines shall consist of horizontal lines of the dimensions specified in respect of such lines in regulation 18(2), extending abaft or forward of a vertical line 25 millimetres in width and marked 540 millimetres abaft the center of the ring of the load line mark and at right angles to that line as shown in Figure 4 and individual Timber load lines shall be as follows—

(a) the Summer Timber load line, which shall extend abaft the said vertical line and be marked LS;

(b) the Winter Timber load line, which shall extend abaft the vertical line and be marked LW;

(c) the Winter North Atlantic Timber load line, which shall extend abaft the vertical line and be marked LWNA;

(d) the Tropical Timber load line, which shall extend forward of the vertical line and be marked LT;

(e) the Fresh Water Timber load line, which shall extend forward of the vertical line and be marked LF; and

(f) the Tropical Fresh Water Timber load line, which shall extend forward of the vertical line and be marked LTF.

(2) The maximum depth to which a ship may be loaded in relation to a Timber load shall be the depth indicated by the upper edge of the appropriate Timber load line.

Appropriate load line

20.  The appropriate load line in respect of a ship at any particular zone or area and seasonal period shall be ascertained in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1701(M).

Position of load lines

21.  Each load line shall be marked in such a position on each side of the ship that the distance measured vertically downwards from the upper edge of the deck-line to the upper edge of the load line is equal to the freeboard assigned to the ship which is appropriate to that load line.

Method of marking

22.—(1) The appropriate marks shall be marked in such a manner as to be plainly visible.

(2) If the sides of the ship are of metal the appropriate marks shall be cut in, centre punched or welded; if the sides of the ship are of wood the marks shall be cut into the planking to a depth of not less than 3 millimetres; if the sides are of other materials to which the foregoing methods of marking cannot effectively be applied the marks shall be permanently affixed by bonding or some other effective method.

(3) The appropriate marks shall be painted in white or yellow if the background is dark, and in black if the background is light.

(4) Where a ship is assigned special freeboards which are less than those required by regulation 29 the load line mark shall comply with the requirements of regulation 17, except that it shall be painted in red on a contrasting background. If the red marking is in addition to the load line mark required by regulation 17 it shall be placed with the centre of the ring 762 mm abaft the load line mark.

Authorisation of removal, etc., of appropriate marks

23.  After the appropriate marks have been made on a ship,

(a) it shall be the duty of the owner and master to keep the ship so marked; and

(b) the marks shall not be concealed, removed, altered, defaced or obliterated except with the authority of the Assigning Authority.

Mark of Assigning Authority

24.—(1) The identity of the Assigning Authority may be marked alongside the load line ring either above the horizontal line which passes through the centre of the ring, or above and below it.

(2) Such a mark shall consist of not more than four initials each measuring approximately 115 millimetres in height and 75 millimetres in width.