(2) An International Load Line Exemption Certificate shall be issued to any ship to which an exemption has been granted under and in accordance with paragraph (2) or (4) of Article 6.

(3) Such certificates shall be issued by the Administration or by any person or organisation duly authorised by it. In every case, the Administration assumes full responsibility for the certificate.

Article 17

Issue or endorsement of certificates by another Government

(1) A Contracting Government may at the request of another Contracting Government cause a ship to be surveyed and, if satisfied that the provisions of the present Convention are complied with, shall issue or authorise the issue of the International Load Line Certificate to the ship and, where appropriate, endorse or authorise the endorsement of the certificate on the ship in accordance with the present Convention.

(2) A copy of the certificate, a copy of the survey report used for computing the freeboard, and a copy of the computations shall be transmitted as early as possible to the requesting Government.

(3) A certificate so issued must contain a statement to the effect that it has been issued at the request of the Government of the State whose flag the ship is or will be flying and it shall have the same force and receive the same recognition as a certificate issued under Article 16.

(4) No International Load Line Certificate shall be issued to a ship which is flying the flag of a State the Government of which is not a Contracting Government.

Article 18

Form of Certificates

The certificates shall be drawn up in the form corresponding to the models given in Annex III to the present Convention. If the language used is neither English nor French, the text shall include a translation into one of these languages.

Article 19

Duration and validity of certificates

(1) An International Load Line Certificate shall be issued for a period specified by the Administration, which shall not exceed 5 years.

(2) a) Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (1), when the renewal survey is completed within 3 months before the expiry date of the existing certificate, the new certificate shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding 5 years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate.

b) When the renewal survey is completed after the expiry date of the existing certificate, the new certificate shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding 5 years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate.

c) When the renewal survey is completed more than 3 months before the expiry date of the existing certificate, the new certificate shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding 5 years from the date of completion of the renewal survey.

(3) If a certificate is issued for a period of less than 5 years, the Administration may extend the validity of a certificate beyond the expiry date to the maximum period specified in paragraph (1), provided that the annual surveys referred to in article 14 applicable when a certificate is issued for a period of 5 years are carried out as appropriate.

(4) If, after the renewal survey referred to in paragraph (1) b) of article 14, a new certificate cannot be issued to the ship before the expiry date of the existing certificate, the person or organisation carrying out the survey may extend the validity of the existing certificate for a period which shall not exceed 5 months. This extension shall be endorsed on the certificate, and shall be granted only where there have been no alterations in the structure, equipment, arrangements, materials or scantlings which affect the ship’s freeboard.

(5) If a ship at the time when a certificate expires is not in a port in which it is to be surveyed, the Administration may extend the period of validity of the certificate but this extension shall be granted only for the purpose of allowing the ship to complete its voyage to the port in which it is to be surveyed, and then only in cases where it appears proper and reasonable to do so. No certificate shall be extended for a period longer than 3 months, and a ship to which an extension is granted shall not, on its arrival in the port in which it is to be surveyed, be entitled by virtue of such extension to leave that port without having a new certificate. When the renewal survey is completed, the new certificate shall be valid to a date not exceeding 5 years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate before the extension was granted.

(6) A certificate issued to a ship engaged on short voyages which has not been extended under the foregoing provisions of this article may be extended by the Administration for a period of grace of up to one month from the date of expiry stated on it. When the renewal survey is completed the new certificate shall be valid to a date not exceeding 5 years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate before the extension was granted.

(7) In special circumstances, as determined by the Administration, a new certificate need not be dated from the date of expiry of the existing certificate as required by paragraphs (2), (5) and (6). In these special circumstances, the new certificate shall be valid to a date not exceeding 5 years from the date of completion of the renewal survey.

(8) If an annual survey is completed before the period specified in article 14 then:

a) the anniversary date shown on the certificate shall be amended by endorsement to a date which shall not be more than 3 months later than the date on which the survey was completed;

b) the subsequent annual survey required by article 14 shall be completed at the intervals prescribed by that article using the new anniversary date;

c) the expiry date may remain unchanged provided one or more annual surveys are carried out so that the maximum intervals between the surveys prescribed by article 14 are not exceeded.

(9) An International Load Line Certificate shall cease to be valid if any of the following circumstances exist:

a) material alterations have taken place in the hull or superstructures of the ship such as would necessitate the assignment of an increased freeboard;

b) the fittings and appliances mentioned in paragraph (1) c) of article 14 are not maintained in an effective condition;

c) the certificate is not endorsed to show that the ship has been surveyed as provided in paragraph (1) c) of article 14;

d) the structural strength of the ship is lowered to such an extent that the ship is unsafe.

(10) a) The duration of an International Load Line Exemption Certificate issued by an Administration to a ship exempted under paragraph (2) of article 6 shall not exceed 5 years. Such certificate shall be subject to a renewal, endorsement, extension and cancellation procedure similar to that provided for an International Load Line Certificate under this article.

b) The duration of an International Load Line Exemption Certificate issued to a ship exempted under paragraph (4) of article 6 shall be limited to the single voyage for which it is issued.

(11) A certificate issued to a ship by an Administration shall cease to be valid upon the transfer of such a ship to the flag of another State.

Article 20

Acceptance of Certificates

The certificates issued under the authority of a Contracting Government in accordance with the present Convention shall be accepted by the other Contracting Governments and regarded for all purposes covered by the present Convention as having the same force as certificates issued by them.

Article 21

Control

(1) Ships holding a certificate issued under Article 16 or Article 17 are subject, when in the ports of other Contracting Governments, to control by officers duly authorised by such Governments. Contracting Governments shall ensure that such control is exercised as far as is reasonable and practicable with a view to verifying that there is on board a valid certificate under the present Convention. If there is a valid International Load Line Certificate on board the ship, such control shall be limited to the purpose of determining that:

a) the ship is not loaded beyond the limits allowed by the certificate;

b) the position of the load line of the ship corresponds with the certificate; and

c) the ship has not been so materially altered in respect to the matters set out in sub-paragraphs a) and b) of paragraph (9) of Article 19 that the ship is manifestly unfit to proceed to sea without danger to human life.

If there is a valid International Load Line Exemption Certificate on board, such control shall be limited to the purpose of determining that any conditions stipulated in that certificate are complied with.

(2) If such control is exercised under sub-paragraph c) of paragraph (1) of this Article, it shall only be exercised in so far as may be necessary to ensure that the ship shall not sail until it can proceed to sea without danger to the passengers or the crew.

(3) In the event of the control provided for in this Article giving rise to intervention of any kind, the officer carrying out the control shall immediately inform in writing the Consul or the diplomatic representative of the State whose flag the ship is flying of this decision and of all the circumstances in which intervention was deemed to be necessary.

Article 22

Privileges

The privileges of the present Convention may not be claimed in favour of any ship unless it holds a valid certificate under the Convention.

Article 23

Casualties

(1) Each Administration undertakes to conduct an investigation of any casualty occurring to ships for which it is responsible and which are subject to the provisions of the present Convention when it judges that such an investigation may assist in determining what changes in the Convention might be desirable.

(2) Each Contracting Government undertakes to supply the Organisation with the pertinent information concerning the findings of such investigations. No reports or recommendations of the Organisation based upon such information shall disclose the identity or nationality of the ships concerned or in any manner fix or imply responsibility upon any ship or person.

Article 24

Prior Treaties and Conventions

(1) All other treaties, conventions and arrangements relating to load line matters at present in force between Governments parties to the present Convention shall continue to have full and complete effect during the terms thereof as regards:

a) ships to which the present Convention does not apply; and

b) ships to which the present Convention applies, in respect of matters for which it has not expressly provided.

(2) To the extent, however, that such treaties, conventions or arrangements conflict with the provisions of the present Convention, the provisions of the present Convention shall prevail.

Article 25

Special Rules drawn up by Agreement

When in accordance with the present Convention special rules are drawn up by agreement among all or some of the Contracting Governments, such rules shall be communicated to the Organisation for circulation to all Contracting Governments.

Article 26

Communication of Information

(1) The Contracting Governments undertake to communicate to and deposit with the Organisation:

a) a sufficient number of specimens of their certificates issued under the provisions of the present Convention for circulation to the Contracting Governments;

b) the text of the laws, decrees, orders, regulations and other instruments which shall have been promulgated on the various matters within the scope of the present Convention; and

c) a list of non-governmental agencies which are authorised to act in their behalf in the administration of load line matters for circulation to the Contracting Governments.

(2) Each Contracting Government agrees to make its strength standards available to any other Contracting Government, upon request.

Article 27

Signature, Acceptance and Accession

(1) The present Convention shall remain open for signature for three months from 5 April 1966 and shall thereafter remain open for accession. Governments of States members of the United Nations, or of any of the Specialised Agencies, or of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice may become parties to the Convention by:

a) signature without reservation as to acceptance;

b) signature subject to acceptance followed by acceptance; or

c) accession.

(2) Acceptance or accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of acceptance or accession with the Organisation which shall inform all Governments that have signed the Convention or acceded to it of each new acceptance or accession and of the date of its deposit.

Article 28

Coming into Force

(1) The present Convention shall come into force twelve months after the date on which not less than fifteen Governments of the States, including seven each with not less than one million gross tons of shipping, have signed without reservation as to acceptance or deposited instruments of acceptance or accession in accordance with Article 27. The Organisation shall inform all Governments which have signed or acceded to the present Convention of the date on which it comes into force.

(2) For Governments which have deposited an instrument of acceptance of or accession to the present Convention during the twelve months mentioned in paragraph (1) of this Article, the acceptance or accession shall take effect on the coming into force of the present Convention or three months after the date of deposit of the instrument of acceptance or accession, whichever is the later date.

(3) For Governments which have deposited an instrument of acceptance of or accession to the present Convention after the date on which it comes into force, the Convention shall come into force three months after the date of the deposit of such instrument.

(4) After the date on which all the measures required to bring an amendment to the present Convention into force have been completed, or all necessary acceptances are deemed to have been given under sub-paragraph b) of paragraph (2) of Article 29 in case of amendment by unanimous acceptance, any instrument of acceptance or accession deposited shall be deeded to apply to the Convention as amended.

Article 29

Amendments

(1) The present Convention may be amended upon the proposal of a Contracting Government by any of the procedures specified in this Article.

(2) Amendment by unanimous acceptance

a) Upon the request of a Contracting Government, any amendment proposed by it to the present Convention shall be communicated by the Organisation to all Contracting Governments for consideration with a view to unanimous acceptance.

b) Any such amendment shall enter into force twelve months after the date of its acceptance by all Contracting Governments unless an earlier date is agreed upon. A Contracting Government which does not communicate its acceptance or rejection of the amendment to the Organisation within three years of its first communication by the letter shall be deemed to have accepted the amendment.

c) Any proposed amendment shall be deemed to be rejected if it is not accepted under sub-paragraph b) of the present paragraph within three years after it has been first communicated to all Contracting Governments by the Organisation.

(3) Amendment after consideration in the Organisation

a) Upon the request of a Contracting Government, any amendment proposed by it to the present Convention will be considered in the Organisation. If adopted by a majority of two-thirds of those present and voting in the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organisation, such amendment shall be communicated to all Members of the Organisation and all Contracting Governments at least six months prior to its consideration by the Assembly of the Organisation.