Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Rules, 2001

JurisdictionIreland
Year2001
CitationIR SI 424/2001

ARRANGEMENT OF RULES

PART I

Preliminary and General

1. Short Title and commencement

2. Interpretation

3. Repeals and Revocations

4. Application

PART II

Surveys and Certificates

5. Assignment of Freeboards

6. Initial, renewal and annual surveys

7. Issue of appropriate certificates

8. Duration and extension of certificates

9. Certificates ceasing to be valid, and surrender and cancellation of certificates

10. Issue of exemption certificates

11. Non -Irish Ships

PART III

Load Lines and Marks

12. Marking

13. Deck-line

14. Load line mark

15. Load lines

16. Timber load lines

17. Appropriate load line

18. Position of load lines

19. Method of marking

20. Authorisation of removal, etc., of appropriate marks

21. Mark of Assigning Authority

PART IV

Conditions of Assignment

22. Requirements relevant to the assignment of freeboards

23. Compliance with conditions of assignment

24. Record of particulars

PART V

Freeboards

25. Types of freeboard

26. Determination of freeboards

27. Greater than minimum freeboards

28. Special position of deck-line: correction of freeboards

PART VI

Information for the Master

29. Information as to stability of ships

30. Information as to loading and ballasting of ships

PART VII

Equivalents

31. Equivalents

List of Schedules

Schedule 1:

Appropriate load lines and seasonal zones, area and periods

Schedule 2:

Conditions of assignment

Part I

Ships in general

Part II

Special requirements applicable to type “A” ships

Part III

Special requirements applicable to Type “B” ships

Part IV

Special requirements applicable to ships assigned timber freeboards

Part V

General

Schedule 3:

Record of particulars

Schedule 4:

Freeboards

Part I

Freeboards other than timber freeboards

Part II

Timber Freeboards

Part III

Sailing ships and other ships

Schedule 5:

Freeboard Tables

Schedule 6:

Information as to stability

Schedule 7:

Notice of load lines to be posted up before sailing

Schedule 8:

Form of Irish Load Line Certificates

S.I. No. 424 of 2001

Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Rules, 2001

I, Frank Fahey, Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by Sections 3 and 29 of the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act, 1968 (No. 17 of 1968) and the Communications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1987 ( S.I. No. 91 of 1987 ) as adapted by the Marine (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1997 ( S.I. No. 301 of 1997 ) and having had regard to the Convention of 1966, as amended by the Protocol of 1988, hereby make the following Rules;-

PART I

PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL

1. These Rules may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Rules, 2001.

2. - (1) In these Rules -

“the 1966 Convention” means the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966

“the 1988 Protocol” means the Protocol of 1988 relating to the 1966 Convention;

“alteration” includes deterioration;

“amidships” in relation to a ship means the middle of the ship's length (L);

“anniversary date” in relation to a certificate means the day and the month of each year which corresponds to the date of expiry of the certificate;

“appropriate certificate” means

(a) in the case of a Convention-size ship, an International Load Line Certificate or an International Load Line Certificate (1966), and

(b) in the case of any other ship, an Irish Load Line Certificate;

“appropriate load line” means the load line directed to be marked on a ship pursuant to rule 5(2)(b), or in the case of a ship not surveyed under these Rules, pursuant to an International Load Line Certificate or International Load Line Certificate (1966) which is in force, indicating the maximum depth to which the ship may be loaded in salt water in a particular zone or area and seasonal period;

“appropriate marks” means the appropriate load lines, the deck-line and load line mark;

“Assigning Authority” means the Minister or any person or organisation authorised by the Minister for the purposes of these Rules;

“clearance” includes transire;

“Conditions of assignment” means the conditions relating to construction, arrangement and stability with which a ship must comply in order to be assigned freeboards;

“Convention-size” in relation to a ship, means in the case of an existing ship, of not less than 150 gross tons and in the case of a new ship, of not less than 24 metres in length;

“exclusive surveyor” means a surveyor appointed by and working exclusively for an Assigning Authority;

“Exemption Certificate” means an International Load Line Exemption Certificate or an Irish Load Line Exemption Certificate;

“existing ship” means a ship which is not a new ship;

“freeboard” means the distance measured vertically downwards at amidships from the upper edge of the deck-line described in rule 13 to the position at which the upper edge of the load line appropriate to the freeboard is to be marked;

“freeboard deck” means the deck from which the freeboards assigned to the ship are calculated, being -

(a) the uppermost complete deck exposed to weather and sea, which has permanent means of closing all openings open to the weather, and below which all openings in the sides of the ship are fitted with permanent means of watertight closing; or

(b) at the request of the owner and subject to the approval of the Minister, a deck lower than that described in subparagraph (a) above, it being a complete and permanent deck which is continuous both in a fore and aft direction at least between the machinery space and peak bulkheads of the ship, and athwartships,

a deck which is stepped being taken to consist for this purpose of the lowest line of the deck and the continuation of that line parallel to the upper part of the deck;

“International Loadline Certificate” means an International Load Line Certificate issued under the 1966 Convention as amended by the 1988 Protocol;

“International Loadline Certificate (1966)” means an International Loadline Certificate issued under the 1966 Convention before the relevant entry into force date (if any);

“International Load Line Exemption Certificate” means an International Load Line Certificate issued under the 1966 Convention as amended by the 1988 Protocol;

“International Load Line Exemption Certificate (1966)” means an International Load Line Exemption Certificate issued under the 1966 Convention before the relevant entry into force date (if any)”,

“International voyage” means a voyage between -

(a) a port in the State and a port outside the State; or

(b) a port in a Convention country (other than the State) and a port in any other country or territory (whether a Convention country or not) which is outside the State;

“Irish Load Line Certificate” means a certificate issued under rule 7(1) other than an International Load Line Certificate;

“Irish Load Line Exemption Certificate” means a certificate issued under rule 10(2);

“Length” means 96% of the total length on a waterline at 85% of the least moulded depth measured from the top of the keel, or as the length from the fore-side of the stem to the axis of the rudder stock on that waterline, if that be greater. Where the stem contour is concave above the waterline at 85% of the least moulded depth, both the forward terminal of the total length and the fore-side of the stem respectively shall be taken at the vertical projection to that waterline of the aftermost point of the stem contour (above that waterline). In ships designed with a rake of keel the waterline on which this length is measured shall be parallel to the designed waterline;

“load line” means a mark on the ship indicating the maximum depth to which a ship may be loaded;

“Marine Notice” means a Notice described as such issued by the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources and which may be amended or replaced from time to time;

“material date” for the purposes of the definitions of a new and existing ship is -

(a) in relation to a ship whose parent country is a Convention country other than Ireland, the date on which the 1966 Convention entered into force for that country; and

(b) in relation to any other ship, the 4th October 1968;

“mean freeboard” means the arithmetic mean of the freeboard measured on each side of the ship;

“mean draught” means the mean of the draughts shown on the scales of measurement on the stem and on the stem post of the ship, and

“Minister” means the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources;

“moulded depth” in relation to a ship means the vertical distance measured from the top of the keel to the top of the freeboard deck beam at side, except that -

(a) in the case of a wood or composite ship, it shall be measured from the lower edge of the keel rabbet;

(b) if the form at the lower part of the midship section of the ship is of a hollow character or if thick garboards are fitted, it shall be measured from the point where the line of the flat of the bottom continued inwards cuts the side of the keel;

(c) in the case of a ship having rounded gunwales it shall be measured to the point of intersection of the moulded lines of the deck and side shell plating, the lines extending as though the gunwale were of angular design; and

(d) if the freeboard deck is stepped and the raised part of the deck extends over the point at which the moulded depth is to be determined, it shall be measured to a line of reference extending from the lower part of the deck along a line parallel to the raised part of the deck;

“near-coastal voyage” means any voyage which is not an international voyage;

“new ship” means a ship whose keel was laid, or which was at a similar stage of construction, on...

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