MERCHANT SHIPPING

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 24, 28 July 1933, Page 8

MERCHANT SHIPPING

LOAD LINE CERTIFICATES

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

A Board of Trade announcement, dated June 15, in connection with new forms of certificate required by merchant shipping when clearance is needed, has been received in Wellington. From, the first day of this month all ships registered in the United Kingdom will bo called upon to produce international load line certificates or United Kingdom load line certificates (i.e., certificates issued under tho provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1932) when, clearance or transire is demanded. From the same date all convention load line ships belonging to other countries which have adopted the International Load Line Convention, will be called upon to produce an international load line certificate.

The announcement states that, in order that the International Load Line Convention, which came into operation on January 1, 1933, might be brought into full use with a minimum of inconvenience to shipping, special arrangements were made by the governments which had adopted the convention for the continued acceptance for a reasonable period after January 1 of load line certificates recognised under arrangements existing before that date, if presented by ships which had bpen prevented from obtaining convention load line certificates. The great majority of the ships, British and foreign, which fall within the scope of tho convention has now been surveyed, and it has therefore been decided that all ships to which the convention applies shall be called upon to produce tho new form of load line certificate.

EXCEPTIONAL CASES.

To meet any exceptional case where a convention load line ship has not been able to undergo survey for the new form of load line certificate his Majesty's Government has suggested to the other governments concerned that if a convention load line ship belonging to another country arrives without an international load line certificate on or after July 1 the ship should not be detained, but the master should'1 bo warned of the necessity of obtaining an international-load lino certificate without further delay, and the case should be reported to the Government of the country to which the ship belongs in order that that Government may make arrangements for the load line survey.

The owners of ships which are laid up and which have not yet obtained the new load lino certificates are reminded that these certificates will be required when the vessels are next put into commission.