46 C.F.R. Subpart B—Load Line Marks
Title 46 - Shipping
(a) Each vessel must be marked with a deck line on the outer surface of the shell on each side of the vessel with the upper edge of the line passing through the point where the upper surface of the freeboard deck intersects the outer surface of the shell or if the summer freeboard is correspondingly adjusted under §45.57, the deck line may be placed above or below the freeboard deck. Figure 1 illustrates the deck line markings. (b) Each deck line must be at least 12-inches long and 1-inch wide. (a) Each vessel must be marked with the diamond mark described in figure 2 of §45.35 amidships below the upper edge of the deck line on each side with the center of the loadline mark at a distance below the deck line equal to the summer freeboard assigned under this part. (b) The width of each line in the loadline mark must be 1 inch. Each vessel must have the summer (S), midsummer (MS), intermediate (I), and winter (W) loadlines for fresh water freeboards calculated under §§45.71 through 45.75 marked in accordance with §45.39. Each vessel that operates in the salt water of the St. Lawrence River must— (a) Be marked with the summer (S), midsummer (MS), intermediate (I) and winter (W) load line marks under §45.77 for salt water; and (b) Be marked with the letters “FW” above the fresh water marks and the letters “SW” above the salt water marks as described in figure 2. (a) The diamond, lines, and letters must be painted in white or yellow on a dark ground or in black on a light ground and permanently marked on the sides of the vessel. (b) The upper edge of the line that passes through the center of the diamond must indicate summer freeboard assigned under §45.53. (c) Unless otherwise authorized the seasonal load lines must be horizontal lines extending forward of, and at right angles to, a vertical line marked at a distance 26 inches forward of the vertical centerline of the diamond as described in figure 2. (d) The salt water load lines must be horizontal lines extending abaft the vertical line required by paragraph (b) of this section as described in figure 2. (e) The upper edge of each seasonal and salt water load line mark must indicate the minimum freeboard for that mark. (f) When two freeboards assigned under this part differ by 2 inches or less, the line for the lesser freeboard must be omitted and the line for the greater freeboard must be identified with the seasonal letters for both freeboards. (g) Seasonal freeboards that are limited by a summer freeboard assigned under §45.53(c) must not be marked but the identifying letter must be marked adjacent to the summer mark. (h) The identity of the authority that assigns the freeboard must be indicated alongside the load line diamond above the horizontal line that passes through the center of the diamond with two initials approximately 4
Title 46: Shipping
PART 45—GREAT LAKES LOAD LINES
Subpart B—Load Line Marks
§ 45.31 Deck line.
§ 45.33 Diamond.
§ 45.35 Seasonal load lines.
§ 45.37 Salt water load lines.
§ 45.39 Marking.
