Protocol of 1988 (Load Lines)

The Protocol of 1988 to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 introduced the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) for load line certificates, aligning their survey intervals and certificate periods with SOLAS and MARPOL. It was adopted on 11 November 1988 and entered into force on 3 February 2000. The protocol replaced the original 1966 certificate regime with the International Load Line Certificate issued under the harmonized five-year cycle with annual and renewal surveys, and it updated several technical provisions on freeboard assignment. The parent Load Lines Convention, 1966, was adopted on 5 April 1966 and entered into force on 21 July 1968.