Plimsoll line

Plimsoll line
/plim"seuhl, -sohl/, Naut.
See load line (def. 1).
[1890-95; see PLIMSOLL MARK]

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▪ international reference line
also called  Plimsoll mark , official name  international load line 

      internationally agreed-upon reference line marking the loading limit for cargo ships. At the instigation of one of its members, Samuel Plimsoll, a merchant and shipping reformer, the British Parliament, in the Merchant Shipping Act of 1875, provided for the marking of a load line on the hull of every cargo ship, indicating the maximum depth to which the ship could be safely loaded. Application of the law to foreign ships leaving British ports led to general adoption of load-line rules by maritime countries. An International Load Line was adopted by 54 nations in 1930, and in 1968 a new line, permitting a smaller freeboard (hull above waterline) for the new, larger ships, went into effect.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Plimsoll line — also Plimsoll mark n BrE [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: Samuel Plimsoll (1824 98), British politician] a line painted on the outside of a ship, showing how low in the water it can safely be when it is loaded …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Plimsoll line — UK US noun [C] (also Plimsoll mark) ► MEASURES, TRANSPORT LOAD LINE(Cf. ↑load line) …   Financial and business terms

  • Plimsoll line — ► NOUN ▪ a marking on a ship s side showing the limit of legal submersion when loaded with cargo. ORIGIN named after the English politician Samuel Plimsoll, responsible for the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 …   English terms dictionary

  • Plimsoll Line —    Samuel Plimsoll (1824 1898) was born in Bristol, England. He started out as a brewery clerk, became a manager, and then became a coal dealer. Elected to Parliament (1868) from Derby, Plimsoll cast about for a cause that could inspire him and… …   Dictionary of eponyms

  • Plimsoll line — n. (also Plimsoll mark) a marking on a ship s side showing the limit of legal submersion under various conditions. Etymology: S. Plimsoll, Engl. politician d. 1898, promoter of the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 * * * ˈPlimsoll line 7 [Plimsoll… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Plimsoll line — noun properly the International Load Line, a mark on the hull of a merchant ship to show the waterline under specified conditions. The line shows the maximum capacity load the ship may carry. See Also: Plimsoll mark, plimsoll …   Wiktionary

  • Plimsoll line — /ˈplɪmsəl laɪn / (say plimsuhl luyn) noun a line or mark required to be placed on the hull of all British merchant vessels, showing the depth to which they may be submerged through loading. Also, Plimsoll mark. {named after Samuel Plimsoll} …  

  • Plimsoll line — (also Plimsoll mark) noun a marking on a ship s side showing the limit of legal submersion when loaded with cargo under various sea conditions. Origin named after the English politician Samuel Plimsoll, responsible for the Merchant Shipping Act… …   English new terms dictionary

  • Plimsoll line — also Plimsoll mark noun (C) a line painted on the outside of a ship, showing the depth to which it can safely be allowed to float in the water when it is loaded …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Plimsoll line — noun see Plimsoll mark …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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