Load Line (watercraft)

The load line, also known as Plimsoll line, indicates the legal limit to which a ship may be loaded for specific water types and temperatures in order to safely maintain buoyancy, particularly with regard to the hazard of waves. The load line is a waterline that corresponds to the maximum draft of the ship, thus yet another name, load waterline. Varying water temperatures will affect a ship's draft, because warm water is less dense than cold water, providing less buoyancy. In the same way, fresh water is less dense than salinated or seawater, with a similar lessening effect upon buoyancy. The rules for international load lines are defined by the International Convention on Load Lines from 1966. For inland water transport regional, national or local rules apply.

Load lines are indicated by special markings on the hull. The marking for the main load line, the summer load line, is called load line mark or Plimsoll mark (positioned amidships), the marks for other conditions are named after the condition suffixed with "load line" (e.g. winter load line).

Purpose

The purpose of a load line is to ensure that a ship has sufficient freeboard (the height from the waterline to the main deck) and thus sufficient reserve buoyancy. The freeboard of commercial vessels is measured between the lowest point of the uppermost continuous deck at side and the waterline and this must not be less than the freeboard marked on the load line certificate issued to that ship. All commercial ships, other than in exceptional circumstances, have a load line symbol painted amidships on each side of the ship. This symbol is also permanently marked, so that if the paint wears off it remains visible. The load line makes it easy for anyone to determine if a ship has been overloaded. The exact location of the load line is calculated and verified by a classification society and that society issues the relevant certificates. This marking was invented in 1876 by Samuel Plimsoll.

History

In the Middle Ages, the Venetian Republic, the Republic of Genoa and the Hanseatic League required ships to show a load line. In the case of Venice this was a cross marked on the side of the ship, and of Genoa three horizontal lines.

The first 19th-century loading recommendations were introduced by Lloyd's Register in 1835, following discussions among shipowners, shippers and underwriters. Lloyd's recommended freeboards as a function of the depth of the hold (three inches per foot of depth, ). These recommendations, used extensively until 1880, became known as "Lloyd's Rule".

In the 1860s, after increased loss of ships due to overloading, a British MP, Samuel Plimsoll, took up the load line cause against strong opposition. A Royal Commission on unseaworthy ships was established in 1872, and in 1876 the United Kingdom Merchant Shipping Act made the load line mark compulsory, although the positioning of the mark was not fixed by law until 1894. In 1906, laws were passed requiring foreign ships visiting British ports to be marked with a load line. It was not until 1930 (the 1930 Load Line Convention) that there was international agreement for universal application of load line regulations.

In 1966 the International Convention on Load Lines was concluded in London which re-examined and amended the 1930 rules. The 1966 convention has since seen amendments in 1971, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1995 and 2003, none of which has entered into force.

Standard load line marks

The original "Plimsoll mark" was a circle with a horizontal line through it to show the maximum draft of a ship. Additional marks have been added over the years, allowing for different water densities and expected sea conditions.

Letters may also appear to the sides of the mark indicating the classification society that has surveyed the vessel's load line. The initials used include:
* AB for the American Bureau of Shipping,
* BV for ,
* CM for Ships Classification Malaysia
* GL for Germanischer Lloyd
* IR for the Indian Register of Shipping,
* LR for Lloyd's Register,
* NK for ,
* NV for Det Norske Veritas
* RI for the and
* VL for DNV GL.
These letters are approximately 115 millimetres in height and 75 millimetres in width (). The load line length is referred to during and following load line calculations.

The letters on the load line marks have the following meanings:
* – tropical fresh water
* – fresh water
* – tropical seawater
* – summer temperate seawater
* – winter temperate seawater
* – winter North Atlantic seawater

For the purposes of load line marks, freshwater is considered to have a density of and typical seawater . Freshwater marks make allowance for the fact that the ship will float deeper in freshwater than saltwater. A ship loaded to her fresh water mark in fresh water will float at her summer mark once she has passed into seawater at the same displacement. Similarly, if loaded to her tropical freshwater mark she will float at her tropical seawater mark once she passes into seawater.

* – The position of the ''tropical fresh water load line'' relative to the tropical load line is found in the same way as the freshwater load line is to the summer load line.
* – The ''fresh water load line'' is an amount equal to millimetres above the summer load line where Δ is the displacement in tonnes at the summer load draft and ''T'' is the tonnes per centimetre immersion at that draft. In any case where Δ cannot be ascertained, the freshwater load line is at the same level as the tropical load line.
* – The ''tropical seawater load line'' is one forty-eighth of the summer load draft above the summer load line.
* – The ''summer seawater load line'' (also named designwaterline (DWL)) is the primary load line and it is from this mark that all other marks are derived. The position of the summer load line is calculated from the load line rules and depends on many factors such as length of ship, type of ship, type and number of superstructures, amount of sheer, and bow height. The horizontal line through the circle of the Plimsoll mark is at the same level as the summer load line.
* – The ''winter seawater load line'' is one forty-eighth of the summer load draft below the summer load line.
* – The ''winter North Atlantic seawater load line'' is used by vessels not exceeding in length when in certain areas of the North Atlantic Ocean during the winter period. When assigned it is below the winter mark.Notes on Cargo Work: Kemp and Young:

Timber load line marks

Certain vessels are assigned timber freeboards, but before these can be assigned, certain additional conditions have to be met. One of these conditions is that the vessel must have a forecastle of at least 0.07 the length of the vessel and of not less than standard height, which is for a vessel or less in length and for a vessel or more in length with intermediate heights for intermediate lengths. A poop or raised quarterdeck is also required if the length is less than . The letter ''L'' prefixes the load line marks to indicate a timber load line. Except for the timber winter North Atlantic freeboard, the other freeboards are less than the standard freeboards. This allows these ships to carry additional timber as deck cargo, but with the facility to jettison this cargo.

The letters on the timber load line marks have the following meanings:
* – timber tropical fresh water
* – timber fresh water
* – timber tropical seawater
* – timber summer seawater
* – timber winter seawater
* – timber winter North Atlantic

The ''summer timber load line'' is arrived at from the appropriate tables in the load line rules.

The ''winter timber load line'' is one thirty-sixth of the summer timber load draft below the summer timber load line.

The ''tropical timber load line'' is one forty-eighth of the summer timber load draft above the summer timber load line.

The ''timber fresh water'' and the ''tropical timber fresh water load line''s are calculated in a similar way to the freshwater and tropical freshwater load lines, except that the displacement used in the formula is that of the vessel at her summer timber load draft. If this cannot be ascertained, then these marks will be one forty-eighth of the timber summer draft above the timber summer and timber tropical marks, respectively.

The ''timber winter North Atlantic'' load line is at the same level as the winter North Atlantic load line.

Subdivision load line marks

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. These marks show ''P1'' for the principal passenger condition, and ''P2'', ''P3'', etc., for the alternative conditions; however, in no case is any subdivision load line mark placed above the deepest load line in saltwater.Merchant Shipping (Instructions to Surveyors) (Passenger Ships) Regulations (Hong Kong)

See also

* Ballast tank
* Coffin ship (insurance)
* Plimsoll shoe
* Sailing ballast
* SS ''London'' – sank in 1866 and stimulated Parliament to introduce the Plimsoll line
* Stability conditions (watercraft)
* ''The Onedin Line'' (episode " Danger Level")

References

Sources

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External links

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Online water density calculator
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{{Ship measurements

Buoyancy
Ship measurements