Freeboard is the distance measured from the waterline to the upper edge of the deck plating at the side of the freeboard deck amidships.

• Ensures the ship is seaworthy when fully loaded.
• Provides reserve buoyancy, enabling the ship to rise as it passes through waves, keeping decks largely dry.
• Enhances the ship's stability and increases its survivability in case of damage by allowing it to remain afloat longer, aiding crew escape or damage control.

Conditions of Assignment are outlined in the Merchant Shipping Load Line Rules 1968 and must be satisfied before a ship is assigned freeboards and issued a load line certificate. These conditions address the practical need for openings (hatchways, doorways, vents, etc.) in the ship's hull and mandate appropriate protection and closure mechanisms for these openings.

Requirements Before Assigning Load Line:

• The ship must have sufficient structural strength.
• Adequate reserve buoyancy must be maintained.
• Openings must be secured against water ingress.
• Safety measures for the crew, such as guardrails and gangways, must be in place.

To ensure that the conditions of assignment are still current the following items can be checked and confirm to be without change or damage from when the ship was built.

• Access openings in bulkheads, to ensure that they can be sealed and prevent flooding
• Cargo and hatchways ensure they can be sealed to prevent flooding
• Coamings of hatchways, sign of corrosion damage risk of failure would allow flooding
• Protection of openings, can they all be sealed
• Ventilator coamings not corroded as they would allow flooding to other arears
• Air pipes can be shut in heavy weather and not corroded
• Discharges, inlets and scuppers, all in good condition and operational
• Side scuttles can be secured
• Hull inspection, sea boxes and penetrations all checked for damage and corrosion free.

Type A Ships:

• Designed for liquid cargo only (e.g., oil tankers).
• Have the lowest freeboard among ship types due to their higher reserve buoyancy.

Type B Ships:

• Designed for general cargo (e.g., container ships).
• Have a higher freeboard than Type A ships.

Type B-60 Ships:

• A variant of Type B ships, with freeboard reduced by up to 60% of the difference between Type A and B (e.g., OBO ships).

Type B-100 Ships:

• Type B ships with freeboard reduced by up to 100% of the difference between Type A and B (e.g., certain bulk carriers).