What is the reason for the Plimsoll Mark (Load Line)?
Samuel Plimsoll, a British merchant and shipping reformer campaigned for this mark to prevent ships from being overloaded and lost at sea. His idea became law in Britain in 1875. The mark, a circle with a horizontal line through the center was painted on both sides of a ship. In order to keep their insurance a ship could not load deeper then this line. Until then a large number of ships would sink every year as owners and captains overloaded their ships to stay competitive. An International Load Line was adopted by 54 nations in 1930 and amended in 1968.
