a
reference to a
line painted on a
ship's
hull indicating how heavily it may be
loaded when scheduled to travel in the
Indian Ocean during the summer. Such a
line indicates the safe levels to which a
ship may be
loaded under
different conditions of weather and types of
sea. For
example, a
ship floats higher or lower depending on what
type of water it is in, i.e., fresh water,
salt water, water in the winter, summer, etc. Based on this and the structure and strength of the
ship, designations are made to ensure the
ship travels safely.
one of the deepest depths possible to which a
cargo ship may be
loaded and its
hull immersed in water. Summer is the name of the
Plimsoll mark on the side of a
ship indicating a legally allowed depth (one of the deepest). It is called Indian Ocean Summer as
laws regulating how much
cargo a
ship can carry have been known to not be well enforced in the
Indian Ocean and thus Plimsoll
marks have been falsified in
order to carry more
cargo and make more
money. See also
Plimsoll mark in this glossary.