The Load Lines Convention, 2021 Edition is the International Maritime Organization's consolidated text of the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, as modified by the Protocol of 1988. It sets the minimum freeboard a ship must keep, so that it has enough reserve buoyancy and stability for the sea area and season it's sailing in.
Edition at a glance
| Title |
International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, as modified by the Protocol of 1988, 2021 Edition |
| Publisher |
International Maritime Organization (IMO) |
| Edition |
2021, consolidated to 1 July 2021, including revised unified interpretations |
| IMO numbers |
IC701E (print), KC701E (digital) |
| Formats |
Print book (English); digital e-reader (English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese) |
What's inside
- The articles of the 1966 Convention, as modified by the 1988 Protocol and amended
- Annex I: regulations for determining load lines, including conditions of assignment, freeboard tables and the load line mark
- Annex II: zones, areas and seasonal periods
- Annex III: the International Load Line Certificate and the Exemption Certificate
- Revised unified interpretations, keyed to the articles and regulations they explain
Background
The Convention was adopted on 5 April 1966 and entered into force on 21 July 1968. The 1988 Protocol, in force since 3 February 2000, brought load line surveys and certificates into line with SOLAS and MARPOL. It generally applies to ships of 24 metres and over on international voyages.
Who uses it
Naval architects and shipyards, classification society and flag surveyors, port State control officers, and masters and chief officers planning how deep a ship may load.