S.I. No. 71/1971:

MERCHANT SHIPPING (LOAD LINE) (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1971.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (LOAD LINE) (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1971.

I, BRIAN LENIHAN, Minister for Transport and Power, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 and 29 of the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act, 1968 (No. 17 of 1968), and having had regard in particular to the Convention of 1966, hereby make the following rules :

1. (1) These Rules may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Load Line) (Amendment) Rules, 1971.

(2) The Principal Rules and these Rules may be cited together as the Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Rules, 1968 and 1971.

2. In these Rules "the Principal Rules" means the Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Rules 1968 ( S.I. No. 205 of 1968 ).

3. The Principal Rules shall be amended by--

(a) the substitution of the following for paragraph (4) of Rule 25:

"(4) Every existing ship, not being a ship to which freeboards are to be assigned under Rule 29 of these Rules by virtue of the proviso thereto, shall comply with such of the requirements relevant to the assignment of freeboards to ships as were applicable to her under the law in force immediately prior to the coming into operation of these Rules.",

(b) the substitution of "paragraphs (6) and (6A)" for "paragraph (6)" in paragraph (2) of Rule 32, and

(c) the substitution of the following for paragraph (6) of Rule 32:

"(6) The owner of a ship to which this paragraph applies shall provide for the guidance of the master such information relating to the stability of the ship as was required to be so provided under the law in force immediately before the coming into operation of these Rules.

(6A) Paragraph (6) of this Rule applies to a ship in respect of which a 1933 Act certificate is in force on the coming into operation, of these Rules.

(6B) Paragraph (6) of this Rule shall cease to apply to a ship either on--

(a) the expiration of the period of twelve months next following the day of issue of the first load line certificate to be issued in respect of the ship after the 18th day of February, 1971 or

(b) the 4th day of October, 1975,

whichever is the earlier.", and

(d) the insertion of the following after paragraph (7) of Rule 32;

"(8) In this Rule '1933 Act certificate' means a load line certificate issued under the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Convention) Act, 1933 (No. 42 of 1933) other than a certificate issued in respect of a ship not registered in the State under section 49 (1) of that Act".

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 18th day of February, 1971.

BRIAN LENIHAN,

Minister for Transport and Power.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Rules provide that an owner of a ship which already carried a load line certificate when revised Load Line Rules came into force on 4th October, 1968 shall have a further period of grace before furnishing the information on the stability of the ship prescribed by the revised Rules.