bad weather or rough seas is due to overloading, and to identify current ship’s draft is a must.
Plimsoll Mark / Line on the side of a ship (Photo courtesy of the Murray Polson collection)The first modern loading standards were introduced by Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping in 1835. 7: Mark of assigning authority: Authority to the classification society which has classed the ship to put its initials on the load line mark. The complete Load line markings consist of 3 vital parts.S – Summer :- It is the basic freeboard line at the same level as the Plimsol Line. If the water level just touches the top of 12 ft, the draft would be 12 feet 6 inches. It is mandatory for a ship to ensure that at all time on its voyage that the appropriate load line is not submerged neither in port nor during any stage of the voyage nor when passing from one zone to the other.The Flag State of a vessel is the authority. They indicate the depth of the ship’s keel below the water line.
Passenger ships having spaces which are adapted for the accommodation of passengers and the carriage of cargo alternatively may have one or more additional load line marks corresponding to the subdivision drafts approved for the alternative conditions. An overloaded ship is an unsafe ship, as it does not have adequate reserve buoyancy and strength to face the elements. However, it took many years from then to have an International agreement for the universal application of Load lines. On the side of the ship on both sides amidships, are marked a set of lines as shown in the figure. The origin of loadline marks dates back to 1876 when a member of the British parliament by the name of Samuel Plimsol took an active part in promoting the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 (MSA). A certain area could be summer zone during certain months and tropical or winter during the remaining months (see Zone chart on board your ship).
if the water level just touches the bottom of 12, the draft would be 12 ft. in between the meter marks but slightly to the right of them are marked Arabic numerals as 2, 4, 6 and 8, this indicates 20cms, 40cms and 60cms and 80cms. Draft marks are numerals painted on the stem, amidships and stern of a ship. In such assignments, following conditions are taken into account: The deckline is located amidships in line with the uppermost continuous plating (weather deck) where it meets the sheer strake (the upper most plate (strake) of the ship’s side). Draft marks could be either in meters or in feet or in both i.e. Heavy penalties and detention may be the result if a ship does not comply with the freeboard requirements and LL regulations. The marks shall again be painted with white or yellow colour on a dark background / black on a light background. (7) New ships, other than those specified in paragraph (6), shall comply either with regulation 27(Sec.3 A100)ofthe present Convention (as amended) or with regulation 27 (Rules for Classification of Ships Pt.3 Ch.5 Sec.3 A100, January 1992) of the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (as adopted on 5 April 1966),as determined by if the water is at any level other than the top or the bottom mark, the draft has to be estimated. In case you are on a ship with a ’rounded sheer strake, you will observe that the deck line is located lower down where the curvature of the sheer strake ends. Subdivision Load Line Marks. The key to Loadline’s ability to manufacture superior quality products is because of skilled and knowledgeable staff, that works in modern facilities with up-to-date equipment. A vessel should be having sufficient freeboard at all times, any exceptions made will result in insufficient stability and excessive stress on the ship’s hull. These are called seasonal zones. This act was the first legislation, which required all ships to carry loadline marks on each side of the vessel.
Other load lines are marked based on this Summer freeboard line.T – Tropical :- It is 1/48th of summer draft marked above the Summer load line.W – Winter :- It is 1/48th of summer draft marked below the Summer load line.WNA – Winter North Atlantic :- It is marked 50mm below the Winter load line.
It was at 1930 when the first International Load Line Convention took place, after which it was periodically amended until the latest one that happened in 2003.In order to make a complete comprehension about Load Lines, we must address the following questions:-The fundamental purpose of a Load Line is to allot a maximum legal limit upto which a ship can be loaded.
In many cases, they hand over the inspection and assignment to the classification societies, who assign the marks and issue the certificate to the ship on behalf of the Flag State.