load line

load line. Maritime law. 1. The depth to which a safely loaded ship will sink in salt water. 2. One of a set of graduated marks on the side of a ship, indicating the depth to which the ship can be loaded in varying waters (such as salt water or freshwater) and weather conditions. • […]

Maritime law. 1. The depth to which a safely loaded ship will sink in salt water. 2. One of a set of graduated marks on the side of a ship, indicating the depth to which the ship can be loaded in varying waters (such as salt water or freshwater) and weather conditions. • Load lines