Plimsoll Mark Prior to Loading Cargo
Balancing Cargo
Loaded and Safe to SailPlimsoll Gear
The Mark
The Plimsoll Mark…also known as the load line, the waterline and the mark of safety… is a prominent set of markings located on the outer hull of ocean going cargo ships to indicate the heaviest it can be safely laden and still maintain stability. Only after a ship is properly balanced is it regarded safe to go to sea.
Variations of the entire Plimsoll Mark are displayed on either side of a ship depending upon the type of cargo the vessel carries. Some sources indicate regulations requiring load lines date as far back as 2500 B.C. Official ship loading requirements were first introduced by Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping in the 19th century. Even so, not until after Samuel Plimsoll’s impassioned plea for sailor’s safety on overloaded ships, often referred to as coffin ships, did load line requirements become law.
The rules first applied to British ships, as well as those vessels visiting British ports of call. Eventually load line requirements were adopted in 1930 by the international shipping industry. Load line measures to this day are continuously reviewed and updated.
As the marine cargo vessel requires balance for safety at sea, our ‘life vessel’ requires attention to balance in our personal lives.
"We all have a Plimsoll Line....a point where, for the sake of health, happiness, and plain common sense, we should not attempt to shoulder more repsonsibiltiy, however important, than we can intelligently handle." ...Author Unknown
