Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

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Regulations as to load-line.

443.[¹] —(1) The Board of Trade shall appoint the Committee of Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping, or, at the option of the owner of the ship, any other corporation or association for the survey or registry of shipping approved by the Board of Trade, or any officer of the Board of Trade specially selected by the Board for that purpose, to approve and certify on their behalf from time to time the position of any disc indicating the load-line, and any alteration thereof, and may appoint fees to b e taken in respect of any such approval or certificate.

(2)[²] The Board of Trade may make regulations—

(a) determining the lines or marks to be used in connexion with the disc, in order to indicate the maximum load-line under different circumstances and at different seasons, and declaring that this Part of this Act is to have effect as if any such line were drawn through the centre of the disc; and

(b) as to the mode in which the disc and the lines or marks to be used in connexion therewith are to be marked or affixed on the ship, whether by painting, cutting or otherwise; and

(c) as to the mode of application for, and form of, certificates under this section; and

(d) requiring the entry of those certificates, and other particulars as to the draught of water and freeboard of the ship, in the official log-book of the ship, or other publication thereof on board the ship, and requiring the delivery of copies of those entries.

(3) All such regulations shall, while in force, have effect as if enacted in this Act, and if any person fails without reasonable cause to comply with any such regulation made with respect to the entry, publication, or delivery of copies of certificates or other particulars as to the draught of water and freeboard of a ship, he shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.

(4) Where in pursuance of the regulations any such certificate is required to be delivered, a statement in writing as to the disc and deck-lines of a ship need not be inserted in the form of entry or transmitted or delivered to a chief officer of customs under the provisions herein-before contained.

[¹ See note [¹], p. 588.]

[² S. 443 (2) is extended by 6 Edw. 7. c. 48. s. 8 (4).]