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 International Convention
on Load Lines 1966

International Convention on Load Lines, 1966

Adoption: 5 April 1966

Entry into force: 21 July 1968
The first International Convention
on Load Lines, adopted in 1930, was
based on the principle of reserve
buoyancy, although it was
recognized then that the freeboard
should also ensure adequate
So design and construction
stability and avoid excessive stress
of ships also matters in the
on the ship's hull as a result of ICLL
overloading.

The International Convention on

Load Lines (ICLL), was signed in
London on 5 April 1966, amended
by the 1988 Protocol and further
revised in 2003.
The 1988 LL Protocol revised certain regulations
in the technical Annexes to the Load Lines
Convention and introduced the tacit amendment
procedure. Amendments to the Convention may
be considered either by the Maritime Safety
Committee or by a Conference of Parties.

The four principles of the International

Convention on Load Lines, 1966 as modified by
the Protocol of 1988 relating thereto,
(hereafter: LL66/88) can be summarized
as: Adequate structural strength. Protection of
safe means of access for the crew. Watertight
integrity of ship's hull below freeboard deck.
How important is the
load line convention
to a ship?
The fundamental purpose of a Load Line
is to allow a maximum legal limit up to
which a ship can be loaded by cargo. By
prescribing such limits, the risk of having
the vessel sailing with inadequate
freeboard and buoyancy can be limited. A
vessel should have sufficient freeboard at
all times.
Ships historically made untrammeled use of the
vast ocean surface. The necessity of coming into
port gave shore authorities the opportunity to
exact certain payments, but, until regulation began
to appear in the middle of the 19th century,
owners and captains were free to do as they
pleased in building and operating their ships. As
maritime nations began to realize that accidents at
sea were preventable by adherence to rules for the
building and operation of ships, a body of
regulations began to develop under the powers of
individual states to make laws for their own citizens
(and for others within controlled waters). However,
given that ships of all nations were free to use the
ocean, diversity of rules was a serious problem,
with maritime trade readily falling into the hands of
the ships that obeyed the least onerous rules.
The practice of enforced observance of local
regulations continues, but since the late 19th century
a series of agreements among maritime states has Only an example how
brought near-uniformity to regulations governing shipping industry adopted
such measures to enhance
ship operation and aspects of ship design and safety of voyages.
equipage that bear on safety. Nearly all the world’s But it’s not only collision
maritime states, for example, have adopted that has to be considered
the International Regulations for Preventing regarding safety of
navigation; the amount of
Collisions at Sea (known as COLREGS). These were cargo loaded also affects
originally based on British rules formulated in 1862 vessels stability and
and made internationally effective after a series of maneuverability, therefore
there was a need for
international meetings culminating in a conference at regulations about loading,
Washington, D.C., in 1889. The rules specify in great so came the load lines!
detail how ships must navigate in respect of each
other, what lights must be shown, and what signals
must be given in accordance with circumstances.
Any infringement of this international code of
conduct is accepted in all maritime courts of law
as prima facie evidence of liability in case of
collision. Similarly, the internationally accepted
requirements for the protection and safety of
life at sea, as far as the ship and its equipment
are concerned, are embodied in
the International Convention for Safety of Life
at Sea (known as SOLAS). The sinking of the
liner Titanic in 1912 gave rise to a general desire
to raise the standards of safety of life at sea.
Although a convention was drawn up in 1914
requiring certain minimum standards for
passenger ships, it did not become fully
operative because of the outbreak of World
War I.
The advent of the United Nations after World War
II brought into being a permanent international
body, the International Maritime
Organization (IMO), an arm of the UN whose
purpose is to produce and modify international
conventions in three categories: safety, prevention
of pollution, and liability and compensation
following accidents. The IMO has produced a
regulatory literature too extensive to detail here, but
four conventions that have the greatest bearing on
ship operation can be mentioned. The International
Convention on Load Lines of 1966 emerged from
the British Merchant Shipping Act of 1875, which
provided what was known as the Plimsoll load line
on the ship’s side, indicating the maximum depth to
which a ship could legally be loaded.
Samuel Plimsoll
Samuel Plimsoll was an English politician
remembered for devising the Plimsoll line. He
was a member of the British Parliament who
was concerned with the loss of ships and
crews due to vessel overloading. Plimsoll was
actively involved in the transition from
wooden hulls to steel.
Plimsoll faced lawsuits from shipowners anxious
to stop him because they were convinced he
would put them out of business or leave them
facing financial ruin. The enormous loss of life
sustained by workers at sea was not, it seems,
at the forefront of their minds.

The work of Plimsoll formed the first legislation

on Merchant Ships in respect of safety and led to
the first Construction Rules for vessel types to
which designers had to conform. It led to the
consideration of vessel stability and ensured that
guidance was in place to prevent vessels from
leaving port in an unstable condition or becoming
unstable in transit.
In 1876, Plimsoll persuaded Parliament to pass
the Unseaworthy Ships Bill, which mandated
marking a ship’s side with a line that would
disappear below the waterline if the vessel was
overloaded. This was a circle with a diameter
drawn horizontally and extended outside the
circle, as illustrated. The idea was that the water,
when loaded, would not reach this line.

At this time, rules were not in existence to

determine the ‘right and safe’ position for the load
line. The requirements for the load line, as rules in
some form, did not become compulsory until 1890.
These rules were later to be incorporated into an
International Load Line Convention. Fifty-four
nations adopted an International Load Line in 1930,
and in 1968 a new line, permitting a smaller
freeboard for the new, larger ships, went into
effect.
In order to protect the competitive position of
British ships, the Merchant Shipping Act of 1890
required all foreign ships leaving British ports
to comply with the load-line regulations. This led to
the adoption of load-line rules by most maritime
countries, and the International Load Line
Convention of 1930 was ratified by 54 nations.
The 1988 Protocol was
The International Convention on Load Lines (ICLL), was signed in adopted to harmonize
the survey and
London on 5 April 1966, amended by the 1988 Protocol and certification
further revised in 2003. The convention pertains specifically to requirement of the 1966
a ship's load line (also referred to as the "waterline"), a marking Convention with those
contained in
of the highest point on a ship's hull that can safely meet the
the International
surface of the water; a ship that is loaded to the point where its Convention for the
load line is underwater and no longer visible has exceeded Safety of Life at
its draft and is in danger because its capacity has been exceeded. Sea (SOLAS)
and MARPOL 73/78.
The new convention of 1966 came into force in
July 1968 and allowed for a smaller Why?
Because if vessel is loaded
freeboard (vertical distance between the water at maximum capacity, but
and the deck) for large ships while calling for then if the water tight
more stringent protection of openings in decks integrity is overlooked,
then in bad weather, water
and superstructures. The Convention on might come into the vessel
International Regulations for Preventing (Water Ingress). That would
Collisions at Sea and the International result to added weight on
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea were the vessel, therefore will
jeopardize the stability as
drawn up in 1972 and 1974, respectively. In 1973 the added weight will make
and 1978 the International Convention for the the vessel virtually
Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) overloaded. So ICLL also
includes aspects of the
came up with regulations that cover internal
construction of openings in
arrangements of tankers in order to minimize oil deck and superstructures!
spills following hull ruptures.
IMO regulations do not go into effect until Note:
they have been ratified by a sufficient
The 5 important instruments of IMO are:
number of maritime states. In turn, they are
not enforced by the regulatory arm of a Conventions. Protocols. Amendments. Reco
maritime state until they have also become mmendations, codes, and guidelines.
the law of that land. In the United States, for
example, they must become federal law by
the usual passage through Congress and the What is a Protocol?
Executive. They are thereafter found in the A protocol signifies an instrument that
creates legally binding obligations at
Code of Federal Regulations and are enforced international law. In most cases this term
by the United States Coast Guard within U.S. encompasses an instrument which is
waters. The enforcement functions of the U.S. subsidiary to a treaty.
Coast Guard are largely focused in
a Certificate of Inspection that is required for
commercial shipping under its jurisdiction.
Ship Classification
and its Role in the
Load Line
Convention…
In most maritime states, nongovernmental
regulatory bodies are empowered to carry out
such legally mandated actions as assigning load
lines and to publish rules for ship design that must
be complied with for insurability. However, since
their functions are to establish an insurability class
for new ships whose owners opt for this service
and to survey the ships periodically for
continued compliance over their lifetime, they are
more accurately described as classification
societies.
In accordance with the International Convention on Load Lines (CLL 66/88), all
assigned load lines must be marked amidships on each side of the ships
engaged in international voyages. The determinations of the freeboard of ships
are calculated and/or verified by classification societies which issue
International Load Line Certificates in accordance with the legislation of
participating States.
The leading classification society, operating in almost
every country in the world, is Lloyd’s Register of Shipping,
which began its work long before any national legislation
existed for the performance of its purposes. The history of
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping can be traced back to 1760.
The society was reconstituted in 1834 and again in 1914.
Lloyd’s operates in most maritime countries, often in
cooperation with classification societies established by
other nations. These include the American Bureau of
Shipping, originally established in 1867 and resuscitated
as a result of the large volume of merchant ships built in
the United States during World Wars I and II; the Bureau
Veritas, which was founded in Antwerp (Belg.) in 1828
but moved its headquarters to Paris in 1832; the Norske
Veritas, established in Norway in 1894; Germanischer
Lloyd, founded in Germany in 1867; and Registro Italiano
Navale, founded in Italy in 1861.
The two types of Load line
markings…

There are two types of Load line

markings:-

Standard Load Line marking – This

load line marking is applicable to all
types of vessels.

Timber Load Line Markings – This

load line marking is applicable to
vessels carrying timber cargo.
Timber Load line – a
special load line
assigned to ships
complying with
If this touches the
certain conditions
water, means it’s
related to their enough even if in
construction set out in normal condition
the International it’s still not the
maximum load,
Convention on Load that accounts for
Lines and used when the possible
the cargo complies weight added by
with the stowage and moisture
absorbed by the
securing conditions of Logs
the Code of Safe For non timber cargoes, “S” is the maximum
Practice for Ships legal load. But if loading timber, should not be
at maximum loading, accounting for the
Carrying Timber Deck increased weight when timber absorbs water
Cargoes. from moisture or sea spray…
International Convention on
Load Lines 1966…
34 articles all in all…

3 Annexes

4 Chapters

52 Regulations
The Contracting Governments,

DESIRING to establish uniform

principles and rules with respect to
the limits to which ships on
international voyages may be
loaded having regard to the need for
safeguarding life and property at
sea;

CONSIDERING that this end may best

be achieved by conclusion of a
Convention;

HAVE AGREED as follows:

Annex I
Regulations for Determining Load Lines
Chapter I

GENERAL
The Regulations assume that the nature and
stowage of the cargo, ballast, etc., are such as
to secure sufficient stability of the ship and the
avoidance of excessive structural stress. The
Regulations also assume that where there are
international requirements relating to stability
or subdivision, these requirements have been
complied with.
Article 1
General Obligation under the Convention
Article 2
Definitions For the purpose of the present Convention,
unless expressly provided otherwise:

1) “Regulations” means the Regulations annexed to the

present Convention.

2) “Administration” means the Government of the State

whose flag the ship is flying.

3) “Approved” means approved by the Administration.

4) “International voyage” means a sea voyage from a
country to which the present Convention applies to a port
outside such country, or conversely. For this purpose, every
territory for the international relations of which a
Contracting Government is responsible or for which the
United Nations are the administering authority is regarded as
a separate country.

5) A “fishing vessel” is a ship used for catching fish, whales,

seals, walrus or other living resources of the sea.

6) “New ship” means a ship the keel of which is laid, or

which is at a similar stage of construction, on or after the
date of coming into force of the present Convention for
each Contracting Government.

7) “Existing ship” means a ship which is not a new ship.

8) “Length” means 96 per Length here refers to LBP – Length
cent of the total length on a Between Perpendiculars.
waterline at 85 per cent of
the least moulded depth
measured from the top of
the keel, or the length from
the fore side of the stem to
the axis of the rudder stock
on that waterline, if that be
greater. In ships designed
with a rake of keel the
waterline on which this
length is measured shall be
parallel to the designed
waterline.
Article 3
General Provisions
1) No ship to which the present Convention
applies shall proceed to sea on an international
voyage after the date on which the present
Convention comes into force unless it has been
surveyed, marked and provided with an
International Load Line Certificate (1966) or,
where appropriate, an International Load Line
Exemption Certificate in accordance with the
provisions of the present Convention.

Skip paragraph 2
Article 4
Application
1) The present Convention shall apply to:
a) ships registered in countries the Governments of
which are Contracting Governments;

b) ships registered in territories to which the present

Convention is extended under Article 32; and

c) unregistered ships flying the flag of a State, the

Government of which is a Contracting Government.

2) The present Convention shall apply to ships engaged

on international voyages.

Skip paragraph 3-5

Article 5
Exceptions
1) The present Convention shall not apply to:

a) ships of war;

b) new ships of less than 24 metres (79 feet) in

length;

c) existing ships of less than 150 gross tonnage;

d) pleasure yachts not engaged in trade;

e) fishing vessels.
Article 6 What if the distances
between ports are short
Exemptions
and the voyages are in
1) Ships when engaged on international voyages protected waters? So
the weather cannot
between the near neighbouring ports of two or pose much danger to
more States may be exempted by the the voyage even if the
Administration from the provisions of the present vessel is heavily loaded;
no subjection to water
Convention, so long as they shall remain engaged ingress…
on such voyages, if the Governments of the States
in which such ports are situated shall be satisfied
that the sheltered nature or conditions of such
voyages between such ports make it unreasonable
or impracticable to apply the provisions of the
present Convention to ships engaged on such
voyages.

Skip paragraph 3-4

Article 7 Force Majeure (skip)
Article 8 Equivalents (skip)
Article 9 Approvals for Experimental Purposes (skip)
Article 10 Repairs, Alterations and Modifications (skip)
Article 11
Zones and Areas

1) A ship to which the present

Convention applies shall comply with
the requirements applicable to that
ship in the zones and areas
described in Annex II.

2) A port standing on the boundary

line between two zones or areas shall
be regarded as within the zone or
area from or into which the ship
arrives or departs.

Article 12 - 15 (skip)
Article 16
Issue of Certificates
1) An International Load Line Certificate (1966)
shall be issued to every ship which has been
surveyed and marked in accordance with the
present Convention.

2) An International Load Line Exemption

Certificate shall be issued to any ship to which an
exemption has been granted under and in
accordance with paragraph (2) or (4) of Article 6.
3) Such certificates shall be issued by the
Administration or by any person or organization
duly authorized by it. In every ease, the
Administration assumes full responsibility for
the certificate.
This is the case for vessels
4) Notwithstanding any other provision of the made before 1966, and when
the ICLL convention was
present Convention, any international load line adopted. The load line
certificate which is current when the present certificates of such vessels
Convention comes into force in respect of the were valid for two year until
Government of the State whose flag the ship is 1968, the date of the
adoption of the convention…
flying shall remain valid for two years or until it Presently there rarely are
expires, whichever is earlier. After that time an ships with this age.
International Load Line Certificate (1966) shall be
required.
Article 17

Issue of Certificate by another Government

1) A Contracting Government may, at the

request of another Contracting Government,
cause a ship to be surveyed and, if satisfied
that the provisions of the present Convention
are complied with, shall issue or authorize the
issue of an International Load Line Certificate
(1966) to the ship in accordance with the
present Convention.
2) A copy of the certificate, a copy of the survey
report used for computing the freeboard, and a copy
of the computations shall be transmitted as early as
possible to the requesting Government.
3) A certificate so issued must contain a statement to
the effect that it has been issued at the request of
the Government of the State whose flag the ship is
or will be flying and it shall have the same force and
receive the same recognition as a certificate issued
under Article 16.
4) No International Load Line Certificate (1966) shall
be issued to a ship which is flying the flag of a State
the Government of which is not a Contracting
Government.
Article 18
Form of Certificates
1) The certificates shall be drawn up in the
official language or languages of the
issuing country. If the language used is
neither English nor French, the text shall
include a translation into one of these
languages.
2) The form of the certificates shall be that
of the models given in Annex III. The
arrangement of the printed part of each
model certificate shall be exactly
reproduced in any certificates issued, and
in any certified copies thereof.

Article 19 - 34 (skip)
Annex I
Regulations for Determining Load Lines
Chapter I
GENERAL
The Regulations assume that the nature and
stowage of the cargo, ballast, etc., are such as to
secure sufficient stability of the ship and the
avoidance of excessive structural stress.

The Regulations also assume that where there

are international requirements relating to
stability or subdivision, these requirements have
been complied with.
Regulation 1
Strength of Hull
The Administration shall satisfy itself
that the general structural strength of
the hull is sufficient for the draught
corresponding to the freeboard
assigned. Ships built and maintained in
conformity with the requirements of a
classification society recognized by the
Administration may be considered to
possess adequate strength.
Regulation 2
Application
1)Ships with mechanical means of propulsion or
lighters, barges or other ships without
independent means of propulsion, shall be
assigned freeboards in accordance with the
provisions of Regulations 1-40 inclusive of this Freeboard is
Annex. the distance
2) Ships carrying timber deck cargoes may be between deck
line and the
assigned, in addition to the freeboards prescribed load line; it
in paragraph (1) of this Regulation, timber represents
freeboards in accordance with the provisions of the vessel’s
buoyancy.
Regulations 41-45 inclusive of this Annex.

Sub paragraph 3-5 (skip)

Regulation 3 (skip)
Regulation 4
Deck Line
The deck line is a horizontal line 300 millimetres (12
inches) in length and 25 millimetres (1 inch) in
breadth. It shall be marked amidships on each side of
the ship, and its upper edge shall normally pass
through the point where the continuation outwards of
the upper surface of the freeboard deck intersects the
outer surface of the shell (as illustrated in Figure 1),
provided that the deck line may be placed with
reference to another fixed point on the ship on
condition that the freeboard is correspondingly
corrected. The location of the reference point and the
identification of the freeboard deck shall in all cases
be indicated on the International Load Line
Certificate (1966).
Regulation 5

Load Line Mark

The Load Line Mark shall consist of a ring 300

millimetres (12 inches) in outside diameter and
25 millimetres (1 inch) wide which is intersected
by a horizontal line 450 millimetres (18 inches) in
length and 25 millimetres (1 inch) in breadth, the
upper edge of which passes through the centre of
the ring. The centre of the ring shall be placed
amidships and at a distance equal to the assigned
summer freeboard measured vertically below the
upper edge of the deck line (as illustrated in
Figure 2).

Regulation 6-7 (skip)

Regulation 8

Details of Marking

The ring, lines and letters shall be painted in

white or yellow on a dark ground or in black on a
light ground. They shall also be permanently
marked on the sides of the ships to the
satisfaction of the Administration. The marks
shall be plainly visible and, if necessary, special
arrangements shall be made for this purpose.
Regulation 9

Verification of Marks

The International Load Line Certificate

(1966) shall not be delivered to the ship until
the officer or surveyor acting under the
provisions of Article 13 of the present
Convention has certified that the marks are
correctly and permanently indicated on the
ship’s sides.
Chapter II
Conditions of Assignment of Freeboard

Regulation 8-24 (skip)

Regulation 25
Protection of the Crew
1)The strength of the deckhouses used for the accommodation of
the crew shall be to the satisfaction of the Administration.
2) Efficient guard rails or bulwarks shall be fitted on all exposed
parts of the freeboard and superstructure decks. The height of the
bulwarks or guard rails shall be at least 1 metre (39 1/2 inches)
from the deck, provided that where this height would interfere with
the normal operation of the ship, a lesser height may be approved if
the Administration is satisfied that adequate protection is provided.
3) The opening below the lowest course of the
guard rails shall not exceed 230 millimetres (9
inches). The other courses shall be not more
than 380 millimetres (15 inches) apart. In the
case of ships with rounded gunwales the guard
rail supports shall be placed on the flat of the
deck.
4) Satisfactory means (in the form of guard rails,
life lines, gangways or underdeck passages
etc.) shall be provided for the protection of the
crew in getting to and from their quarters, the
machinery space and all other parts used in the
necessary work of the ship.
5) Deck cargo carried on any ship shall be so
stowed that an opening which is in way of
the cargo and which gives access to and from
the crew’s quarters, the machinery space
and all other parts used in the necessary
work of the ship, can be properly closed and
secured against the admission of water.
Effective protection for the crew in the form
of guard rails or life lines shall be provided
above the deck cargo if there is no
convenient passage on or below the deck of
the ship.
Chapter III
Freeboards

Regulation 27
Types of Ships
1) For the purposes of freeboard computation ships shall be
divided into Type “A” and Type “B”.
Type “A” ships
2) A Type “A” ship is one which is designed to carry only liquid
cargoes in bulk, and in which cargo tanks have only small access
openings closed by watertight gasketed covers of steel or
equivalent material.
Regulation 28 -40 (skip)
Type “B” ships

5) All ships which do not come within the provisions

regarding Type “A” ships in paragraphs (2) and (3) of
this Regulation shall be considered as Type “B” ships.

Chapter IV
Special Requirements For Ships Assigned Timber
freeboards

Regulation 41
Application of this Chapter
Regulations 42 to 45 inclusive apply only to ships
to which timber load lines are assigned.
Regulation 42
Definitions
1) ‘Timber Deck Cargo’. The term “timber deck cargo” means a cargo of timber
carried on an uncovered part of a freeboard or superstructure deck. The term does
not include wood pulp or similar cargo.
2) ‘Timber Load Line’. A timber deck cargo may be regarded as giving a ship a
certain additional buoyancy and a greater degree of protection against the sea. For
that reason, ships carrying a timber deck cargo may be granted a reduction of
freeboard calculated according to the provisions of Regulation 45 and marked on
the ship’s side in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 6 (3) and (4).
However, in order that such special freeboard may be granted and used, the timber
deck cargo shall comply with certain conditions which are laid down in Regulation
44, and the ship itself shall also comply with conditions relating to its construction
which are set out in Regulation 43.

Regulation 43 -45 (skip)

Annex II
Zones, Areas and Seasonal Periods

The zones and areas in this Annex are, in general, based on the
following criteria:
Summer — not more than 10 per cent winds of force 8 Beaufort (34
knots) or more.
Tropical — not more than 1 per cent winds of force 8 Beaufort (34
knots) or more. Not more than one tropical storm in 10 years in an
area of 5 degrees square in any one separate calendar month.

In certain special areas, for practical reasons, some degree of

relaxation has been found acceptable.
A chart is attached to this Annex to illustrate the zones and areas
defined below.
 Annex III
Certificates

International Load Line Certificate

International Load Line Exemption Certificate
 End of Topic
International Convention on
Load Line 1966