{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-load-line-regulations-1998/regulation-6",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-load-line-regulations-1998/regulation-6.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1998/2241",
  "legislation_title": "The Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Regulations 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-load-line-regulations-1998",
  "path": "regulation/6",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "6",
  "heading": "General compliance",
  "text": "(1) Subject to any exemption conferred under these Regulations, a ship shall not proceed, or attempt to proceed, to sea unless—\n(a) it has been surveyed in accordance with these Regulations;\n(b) it is marked with the appropriate marks;\n(c) it complies with the conditions of assignment applicable to it; and\n(d) the information required by regulation 32 and 33 is provided for the guidance of the master of the ship.\n(2) Paragraph (1) above does not apply to a non-United Kingdom ship in respect of which a valid Convention certificate is produced.\n(3) A ship shall not be so loaded that—\n(a) if the ship is in salt water and has no list the appropriate load line on each side of the ship is submerged; or\n(b) in any other case, the appropriate load line on each side of the ship would be submerged if the ship were in salt water and had no list.\n(4) A ship shall not proceed to sea when it is in contravention of paragraph (3).\n(5) Before any ship proceeds to sea from any port in the United Kingdom, the master of that ship shall produce to an officer of customs from whom a clearance for the ship is demanded for an international voyage:\n(i) an appropriate certificate;\n(ii) an International Load Line Exemption Certificate issued under the Convention; or\n(iii) a United Kingdom Load Line Exemption Certificate issued pursuant to regulation 12,\nas the case may be, which is in force in relation to the ship.\n(6) For the purpose of this regulation, where a valid Convention certificate cannot be produced the freeboard deck and the freeboard shall be determined in accordance with these Regulations and the appropriate load line shall be the maximum depth to which the ship may be loaded in salt water.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/2000/1335",
      "affecting_title": "The Merchant Shipping (Load Line) (Amendment) Regulations 2000"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/2000/1335",
      "affecting_title": "The Merchant Shipping (Load Line) (Amendment) Regulations 2000"
    },
    {
      "type": "omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2018/155",
      "affecting_title": "The Merchant Shipping (International Load Line Convention) (Amendment) Regulations 2018"
    },
    {
      "type": "omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2018/155",
      "affecting_title": "The Merchant Shipping (International Load Line Convention) (Amendment) Regulations 2018"
    },
    {
      "type": "words omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2018/155",
      "affecting_title": "The Merchant Shipping (International Load Line Convention) (Amendment) Regulations 2018"
    },
    {
      "type": "omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2018/155",
      "affecting_title": "The Merchant Shipping (International Load Line Convention) (Amendment) Regulations 2018"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2241/regulation/6",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:18:50.366535+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}