UK Statutory Instrument 1998 United Kingdom

Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Regulations 1998

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At a glance

Enforced by

MCA

What's here

22 compliance obligations, 1 practical guide

Penalty landscape

2 of 22 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 1 carries different penalties and 19 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 19

Plus 3 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — GENERAL

s.004

Application

  • Check if your ship must comply with UK Load Line regulations Any Person
Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — SURVEYS AND CERTIFICATES

s.007

Assignment of freeboards

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Assigning Authority must calculate and mark ship freeboards Statutory regulator
s.012

Issue of exemption certificates

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must issue Load Line Exemption Certificates Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part III — LOAD LINES AND MARKS

s.015

Marking

  • Mark your ship with load lines and deck-lines Any Person
s.016

Deck-line

Unlimited fine
  • Mark your ship with a deck-line Any Person
s.017

Load line mark

  • Mark your ship with a compliant load line (Plimsoll mark) Any Person
s.018

Load lines

  • Mark your ship with the correct load lines and loading limits Any Person
s.021

Position of load lines

Unlimited fine
  • Mark load lines at the correct vertical position on the ship's hull Any Person
s.022

Method of marking

  • Mark your ship's load lines clearly and permanently Any Person

Part IV — CONDITIONS OF ASSIGNMENT

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part V — FREEBOARDS

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VI — INFORMATION FOR THE MASTER

Part VII — EQUIVALENTS, PENALTIES AND DETENTION

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

MCA

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Maritime safety regulator responsible for implementing UK and international maritime law. Provides 24-hour search and rescue coordination. Issues certifications for ships and …

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