Plimsoll line
Noun: - A marking on a ship's hull: The Plimsoll line is a series of lines and markings painted on the side of a merchant ship. It indicates the maximum safe draft (the depth to which the ship is submerged in the water) under various conditions, ensuring the ship is not overloaded.
The term is used specifically in maritime contexts to refer to the legal load line marking. - The port authority inspected the ship's Plimsoll line to verify it was not overloaded. - Before sailing, the captain checked that the water level was below the summer load line on the Plimsoll line.
- "To be loaded to the Plimsoll line": This phrase means a ship is loaded to its maximum safe and legal capacity.
- The freighter was loaded to the Plimsoll line with grain for the voyage.
- Load line: A more general term for the Plimsoll line.
- Plimsoll mark: Another term for the same marking.
- International Load Line: The modern, standardized system governed by an international convention, which evolved from the original Plimsoll line concept.
- Load line marking
- International load line
The Plimsoll line is named after Samuel Plimsoll, a British MP and social reformer who campaigned for the marking to prevent shipowners from dangerously overloading vessels. The markings include lines for different water densities (e.g., tropical fresh water, summer, winter) and seasons.
- waterlines to show the level the water should reach when the ship is properly loaded