### Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Load Line) Regulations 《商船(安全)(載重線)規例》

24. Compliance with conditions of assignment
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subregulation (2), a ship shall for the purposes of Part IV of the Ordinance, be taken not to comply with the conditions of assignment—
(a) if at any time after the assignment of freeboards to the ships there has been any alteration of the hull, superstructures, fittings or appliances of the ship such that either—
(i) any requirement applicable to the ship under regulation 23 is not complied with in respect of the ship; or
(ii) the record of particulars made in relation to the ship pursuant to regulation 25 is rendered inaccurate in a material respect; or
(b) if that record of particulars is not kept on board the ship in accordance with subregulation (2) of that regulation.
(2) A ship shall be taken to comply with the conditions of assignment notwithstanding an alteration described in subregulation (1)(a) if either—
(a) fresh freeboards appropriate to the condition of the ship after the alteration have been assigned to the ship and the ship has been marked with load lines and a fresh certificate issued to the owner of the ship accordingly; or
(b) the alteration has been inspected by a Surveyor on behalf of the Assigning Authority, that Authority is satisfied that the alteration is not such as to require any change in the freeboards assigned to the ship, and full particulars of the alteration together with the date and place of his inspection have been endorsed by the Surveyor on the record above referred to.

25. Record of particulars
(1)  The record required by section 102(1)(g) of the Ordinance of particulars of requirements in respect of the hull, superstructures, fittings and appliances of a ship to which freeboards are assigned shall be in the form set out in Schedule 3 or a form as near thereto as circumstances permit and shall contain the particulars required by that form. (L.N. 47 of 2018)

(2) The record shall be completed by the Surveyor carrying out the survey of the ship pursuant to regulation 3 and shall be furnished by him to the Assigning Authority in accordance with regulation 4. A copy of the record shall be sent by the Assigning Authority to the owner of the ship and it shall be kept on the ship at all times in the custody of the master.

26. Types of freeboard
The freeboards assignable to a ship under these regulations are the Summer freeboard, Tropical freeboard, Winter freeboard, Winter North Atlantic freeboard, Fresh Water freeboard, and Tropical Fresh Water freeboard, and in the case of ships to which Timber freeboards are to be assigned the Summer Timber freeboard, Winter Timber freeboard, Winter North Atlantic Timber freeboard, Tropical Timber freeboard, Fresh Water Timber freeboard and Tropical Fresh Water Timber freeboard.

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Load Line) Regulations 《商船(安全)(載重線)規例》

27. Determination of freeboards
Except as otherwise provided in regulation 28—
(1) the freeboards to be assigned to— (L.N. 47 of 2018)
(a) a new ship that is a pre-2005 ship—must be determined in accordance with Schedule 5; and
(b) a new ship that is a post-2005 ship—
(i) if the ship is constructed before 1 July 2014—must be determined in accordance with Regulations 27 to 40, and Regulation 45, of Annex I to the International Convention on Load Lines signed on 5 April 1966, as modified by the Protocol of 1988 relating to it and as amended by IMO resolutions MSC.143(77), MSC.172(79), MSC.223(82), MSC.270(85) and MSC.329(90); and
(ii) if the ship is constructed on or after 1 July 2014—must be determined in accordance with Regulations 27 to 40, and Regulation 45, of Annex I. (L.N. 47 of 2018)
(2) the freeboards to be assigned to an existing ship shall be determined in accordance with the provisions applicable in that behalf to the ship under the law in force prior to the coming into operation of these regulations:
Provided that if an existing ship has been so constructed or modified as to comply with all the requirements of Schedule 4 or Annex I applicable to a new ship of her type and application is made for the assignment to her of freeboards determined in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 5 or Annex I, such freeboards shall be assigned to her. (L.N. 47 of 2018)

28. Greater than minimum freeboards
(1) A freeboard determined in accordance with the preceding regulations of this Part is hereafter referred to in this regulation as a minimum freeboard

29. Special position of deck-line: correction of freeboards
In any case in which the deck-line is to be marked on the sides of a ship as provided in regulation 14(3), the freeboards to be assigned to the ship shall be corrected to allow for the vertical distance by which the position of the deck-line is altered by virtue of that subregulation. The location of the point by reference to which the deck-line has been so marked and the identity of the deck which has been taken as the freeboard deck shall be specified in the load line certificate issued in respect of the ship.

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Load Line) Regulations 《商船(安全)(載重線)規例》

31. Information as to loading and ballasting of ships
(1) The owner of any ship to which freeboards are assigned under these regulations, being a ship of more than 150 metres in length specially designed for the carriage of liquids or ore in bulk, shall provide for the information of the master information relating to the loading and ballasting of the ship in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation.
(2) Such information shall consist of working instructions specifying in detail the manner in which the ship is to be loaded and ballasted so as to avoid the creation of unacceptable stresses in her structure and shall indicate the maximum stresses permissible for the ship.
(3) The provisions of regulation 30(5) shall have effect in respect of information required under this regulation, and the information duly approved in accordance with that subregulation shall be contained in the book to be furnished to the master of the ship pursuant to subregulation (7) of that regulation, so however that the information to be provided pursuant to each regulation is separately shown in the book under separate headings specifying the number and heading of each regulation.

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Load Line) Regulations 《商船(安全)(載重線)規例》

33. Equivalents
If these regulations require that a particular fitting, material, appliance or apparatus is to be fitted to a ship, or that any particular provision is to be made in a ship, the Director may allow any other fitting, material, appliance or apparatus to be fitted to the ship, or any other provision to be made in the ship, if the Director is satisfied that such other fitting, material, appliance, apparatus or provision is at least as effective as that required under these regulations.
(L.N. 47 of 2018)