The following terms, wherever mentioned in this Regulation, shall have the meanings indicated next to them unless the context requires otherwise:
1. State: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. Maritime Authority: The Transport General Authority represented in the maritime transport sector or one of its branches or representatives or any person it delegates to act on its behalf.
3. Organization: The International Maritime Organization (IMO).
4. Agreement: The International Convention on Load Lines of 1966 and its amendments by the 1988 Protocol and the decisions of the International Maritime Organization; any reference to the Agreement shall simultaneously refer to the Agreement and its amendments by the Protocol and the decisions of the International Maritime Organization.
5. Regulation: The Implementing Regulation of the International Convention on Load Lines of 1966 and its amendments.
6. Certificate: The International Load Line Certificate issued under the provisions of the Agreement.
7. International Voyage: A maritime journey from a port within the Kingdom to a port in another country or vice versa.
8. Regulations: The provisions stipulated in the appendices of the Agreement and the codes attached to it.
9. Instructions: The instructions attached to the Agreement.
10. Existing Vessel: A vessel that is not included in the list of new ships.
11. New Vessel: A vessel under construction with an extended keel of its basic structure or that is at a similar stage of construction at the date of the Agreement's entry into force.
12. Test Vessels: Vessels that undertake journeys for research and training or conduct research for scientific purposes.
13. Fishing Vessel: A vessel used for fishing marine living resources.
14. Length of the Vessel: The distance equivalent to 96% of the overall length at the waterline of the vessel at 85% of the minimum depth formed for the vessel, measured from the top of its keel or the distance between the foremost point of the bow of the vessel and the rudder axis at the mentioned waterline, whichever is greater. In the case of vessels designed with a slanted keel, the waterline from which this length is measured must be parallel to the design waterline, and the length of the vessel is measured in meters.
15. Freeboard of the Vessel: The vertical distance measured from the top to the bottom on both sides of the midship from the upper edge of the deck surface to the upper edge of its load line.
16. Draft: The vertical distance submerged of the vessel in the water at its midsection, confined between the defined load line and the upper edge of the summer load line down to the lowest point of its keel.
17. Inspection: The examination of the vessel and/or its structure and/or any part of its components or engines or equipment or devices to verify its navigability and the availability of all conditions and requirements according to the legislation and international maritime agreements ratified by the Kingdom that have entered into international force, and to prepare a report describing its technical condition after the inspection.
18. Approved Classification Societies: The classification societies approved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to conduct inspections of vessels flying the Saudi flag and classify them according to their types and purposes on behalf of the Government of the Kingdom and authorized by the Maritime Authority under a delegation agreement.
19. Administration of a Contracting State to the Agreement: The competent maritime authority in a state that is a party to the International Convention on Load Lines.
20. Flag State Control Officer (Inspector): The person responsible for monitoring and inspecting vessels flying the state flag.
21. Port State Control Officer (Inspector): The person responsible for monitoring and inspecting vessels flying a foreign flag present within the ports of the Kingdom or in its territorial waters.
1. The provisions of this Regulation and the requirements of the Agreement apply to the following existing and new ships:
A- Saudi ships wherever they are found.
B- Foreign ships when present in Saudi ports or territorial waters, and foreign ships licensed to operate in the Kingdom.
2. The regulations contained in Annex (2) of the Agreement apply to existing and new ships operating on international voyages to which the Agreement applies, and the regulations contained in Annex (1) of the Agreement specifically apply to new ships operating on international voyages.
3. The provisions of this Regulation and the Agreement do not apply to the following:
A- Warships.
B- New ships that are less than 24 meters in length.
C- Existing ships with a gross tonnage of less than 150 tons.
D- Recreational yachts that do not engage in any commercial activity.
E- Fishing vessels.
1. The maritime authority shall implement the provisions of this Regulation and the Agreement, along with its amendments and attachments, which constitute an integral part thereof, and any reference to the Agreement shall be deemed a reference to its attachments.
2. No vessel to which the current Agreement applies shall embark on an international voyage unless it has undergone inspection, been marked, and granted an international certificate or exemption certificate for loading lines, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.
3. No vessel subject to the provisions of this Regulation and the Agreement shall establish a loading line that exceeds the minimum loading line specified under the requirements of Annex No. (1) of the Agreement.
The maritime authority shall conduct inspections of ships and their examination, determine the load marks, and label them on the body of the ship in accordance with the requirements of the Agreement and grant exemptions to them. The maritime authority may delegate these operations to accredited classification bodies. The maritime authority must ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the inspection and examination operations and the determination of loading marks and lines for ships through supervision and oversight of the work of those bodies by:
1- Subjecting the ship to the inspections specified under the requirements of the Agreement as follows:
A- An inspection before the ship enters marine service, which includes a complete examination of the ship's structure and equipment, and this inspection is carried out in a manner that ensures verification of the compliance of the structure, equipment, fittings, and dimensions with the requirements of the Agreement.
B- Periodic inspections at intervals determined by the maritime authority not exceeding five years, and this inspection is carried out in a manner that ensures verification of the compliance of the structure, equipment, fittings, and hull plates with the requirements of the Agreement in full.
C- A periodic inspection within three months before or after each annual certification date to verify that no changes have been made to the hull or superstructures or substantial changes to its engines or auxiliary devices that could affect the calculations determining the loading line position, ensuring that the following devices and attachments are maintained effectively:
1- Opening protectors.
2- Safety rails for personnel pathways (guardrails).
3- Discharge outlets.
4- Entrances and exits to crew accommodation areas.
2- The maritime authority's approval of the periodic inspections referred to in paragraph (1/C) of this article on the International Convention certificate for loading lines or the exemption certificate granted to a ship exempted under Article (2/6) of the Agreement.
1. The maritime authority may grant an exemption to a ship that meets the requirements of the Agreement and operates on international voyages between two ports in neighboring countries, or if the ship has innovative features. The exemption shall be granted in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) of Article (6) of the Agreement, provided that the organization is informed of the details of these exemptions and their reasons for dissemination to the governments of the parties to the Agreement for their information.
2. The maritime authority may grant an exemption to a ship that does not operate on international voyages and requires, due to the nature of its work, to undertake individual international trips from any of the requirements of the Agreement, provided that it fully complies with adequate safety requirements and after verification of this by the maritime authority or by those it delegates for this purpose.
Certificates are granted by the maritime authority or by classification bodies authorized by it, and the maritime authority remains responsible for issuing that certificate.
1. The maritime authority grants certificates for a period determined by it, provided that it does not exceed five years from the date of issuance.
2. The maritime authority grants approval for the extension of the validity of the original certificate for a period not exceeding five months before the expiration of the certificate in the event that it is not possible to issue a new certificate for the vessel after the periodic inspection referred to in paragraph (1/b) of Article (4) of this regulation, and the extension is limited to cases where no changes have occurred to the hull, equipment, fittings, materials, or hull plates that affect the vessel's buoyancy.
3. The maritime authority may revoke the certificate in the following cases:
A- Occurrence of material changes in the vessel's hull or its superstructure or substantial changes to its engines that require determining a new draft and loading line for the vessel.
B- Failure to carry out effective maintenance of the installations and devices mentioned in item (c) of paragraph (1) of Article (4) of this regulation.
C- Weakening of the vessel's structural integrity to the extent that it becomes unsafe.
D- Failure to certify the certificate indicating that the vessel has undergone inspection in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (c) of Article (4) of this regulation.
4. The duration of the international exemption certificate for loading lines granted by the maritime authority to an exempt vessel under paragraph (2) of Article (5) of this regulation shall not exceed five years from the date of issuance, taking into account the following:
A- The exemption certificate must be subject to renewal, certification, and revocation procedures similar to those stipulated in this article regarding certification procedures.
B- The duration of the exemption certificate granted to a vessel not operating on exempt international voyages under paragraph (4) of Article (6) of the agreement is limited to the specific voyage for which it was issued.
5. The certificate issued by the maritime authority for a Saudi vessel loses its validity immediately upon the transfer of this vessel to the jurisdiction of another state.
The maritime authority recognizes any certificate issued under the provisions of the Agreement by the administrations, bodies, or maritime authorities of the contracting states, and it shall have the same treatment for all purposes of the Agreement and shall be valid to the same extent as the certificate issued by the maritime authority.