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

6. Issue and form of load line certificates
Subject to the provisions of regulation 11 (Exemption and Exemption Certificates) the Assigning Authority shall, on being satisfied that the ship has been surveyed in accordance with regulation 5A(1)(a) or (b) and duly marked in accordance with the directions referred to in regulation 5, issue to the owner of the ship an International Load Line Certificate, in the form set out for such certificate in Annex III; and for that purpose an Assigning Authority other than the Director is hereby authorised by the Director to issue load line certificates in pursuance of section 51(2)(a) of the Ordinance.
(L.N. 35 of 2000; L.N. 47 of 2018)

7. Duration of International Load Line Certificate
(1) Except as otherwise provided in the following regulations of this Part, an International Load Line Certificate shall be valid for 5 years from the date of issue or for such shorter period as may be specified in the Certificate.
(2) Where a renewal survey is completed within 3 months before the date of expiry of an existing International Load Line Certificate issued in respect of a ship, the new International Load Line Certificate issued in consequence of the survey shall be valid for 5 years from the date of expiry of the existing Certificate or for such shorter period as may be specified in the new Certificate.
(3) Where a renewal survey is completed more than 3 months before the date of expiry of an existing International Load Line Certificate issued in respect of a ship, the new International Load Line Certificate issued in consequence of the survey shall be valid for 5 years from the date of completion of the survey or for such shorter period as may be specified in the new Certificate.
(4) Where a renewal survey is completed after the date of expiry of an existing International Load Line Certificate issued in respect of a ship, the new International Load Line Certificate issued in consequence of the survey shall be valid for 5 years from the date of expiry of the existing Certificate or for such shorter period as may be specified in the new Certificate or, if the Director considers it is appropriate in the special circumstances of the case, for 5 years from the date of completion of the survey, or for such shorter period as may be specified in the new Certificate.
(L.N. 35 of 2000)

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

8A. Duration of International Load Line Exemption Certificate
An International Load Line Exemption Certificate issued by the Director in respect of a ship under section 63 of the Ordinance shall—
(a) be valid for 5 years from the date of issue or for such shorter period as may be specified in the Certificate; and
(b) be limited to the single voyage specified in the Certificate.
(L.N. 35 of 2000)

9. Cancellation
(1) The Director may cancel a load line certificate—
(a) if satisfied that— (L.N. 47 of 2018)
(i) the ship to which the certificate relates does not comply with the conditions of assignment; or
(ii) the structural strength of the ship is lowered to such an extent that the ship is unsafe; or
(iii) information on the basis of which freeboards were assigned to the ship was incorrect in a material particular; or (L.N. 35 of 2000)
(iv) the fittings and appliances mentioned in regulation 5A(1)(c)(ii) are not maintained in an effective condition; (L.N. 35 of 2000)
(b) if the certificate is not endorsed in accordance with the requirements of regulation 5A(2) to show that the ship has been inspected in accordance with the requirements of regulation 5A(1)(c); (L.N. 35 of 2000)
(c) if a new certificate is issued in respect of the ship;
(d) if the ship was registered in Hong Kong when the certificate was issued and has ceased to be so registered.
(2) In every such case the Director shall notify the owner of the ship in writing of the cancellation specifying the grounds therefor and the date on which it is to take effect.

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

11. Exemption and exemption certificates
(1) Where the Director exempts a ship pursuant to section 62 of the Ordinance the International Load Line Exemption Certificate to be issued to the owner of the ship by the Director as required by section 63 of the Ordinance shall be in the form set out for such certificates in Annex III. (L.N. 47 of 2018)
(2) Except in so far so the nature or terms of any such exemption require the contrary the provisions of regulations 2 to 5A and 7 to 9 shall have effect in the case of any ship so exempted and of any exemption certificate issued in respect of such a ship as they have effect in the case of a ship in respect of which a load line certificate has been issued and of such a certificate, subject to the substitution— (L.N. 35 of 2000)
(a) for references in the said regulations to an Assigning Authority of references to the Director. (E.R. 3 of 2021)
(b) (Repealed L.N. 35 of 2000)(3) Subregulation (2)(a) does not apply to the endorsements referred to in regulations 5A(2) and (3)(a) and 8(2). (L.N. 47 of 2018)

12. Appropriate marks
In this Part the appropriate marks (適當標記) in relation to a ship means the load lines directed to be marked on the ship pursuant to regulation 5(2)(b) and the deck-line and load line mark.

13. Marking
On receipt from the Assigning Authority of the particulars and directions referred to in regulation 5 the owner of the ship shall cause the appropriate marks to be marked on each side of the ship in accordance with the said directions and the requirements of this Part.

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

14. Deck-line
(1) The deck-line shall consist of a horizontal line 300 millimetres in length and 25 millimetres in width and shall be marked amidships on each side of the ship in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation so as to indicate the position of the freeboard deck.
(2) Subject to subregulation (3), the deck-line shall be marked in such a position on the side of the ship that its upper edge passes through the point amidships where the continuation outwards of the upper surface of the freeboard deck, or of any sheathing of that deck, intersects the outer surface of the shell of the ship as shown in Figure 1.
(3) Where the design of the ship or other circumstances render it in the opinion of the Assigning Authority impracticable to mark the deck-line in accordance with subregulation (2), the Authority may include in the directions given pursuant to regulation 5 a direction that it may be marked by reference to another fixed point in the ship as near as practicable to the position described in subregulation (2).

Figure 1(E.R. 3 of 2021)

Figure 2(E.R. 3 of 2021)

Figure 3(E.R. 3 of 2021)

Figure 4
(E.R. 3 of 2021)

15. Load line mark
The load line mark shall consist, as shown by Figure 2, of a ring 300 millimetres in outside diameter and 25 millimetres wide, intersected by a horizontal line 450 millimetres long and 25 millimetres wide the upper edge of which passes through the centre of the ring. The centre of the ring shall be marked amidships vertically below the deck-line, so that, except as otherwise provided in regulation 28 (Greater than minimum freeboards), the distance from the centre of the ring to the upper edge of the deck-line is equal to the Summer freeboard assigned to the ship.