Charley

Explained here ... Load Lines.

"The Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 made load lines compulsory. However, the position of the line was not fixed by law until 1894. In 1906, foreign ships were also required to carry a load line if they visited British ports. Since then, the line has been known in Britain as the Plimsoll Line. To this day, it still carries the name of the MP who fought such a long struggle in parliament to win better safety conditions for ships' crews. Together with other important changes made to ships in the Victorian period, load lines helped to preserve the lives of ships' crews and passengers."

Cheers!
Ian