prize8-8, Exercise 3: A note on the Plimsoll line

Model answer (check the details):

What it changed: the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 required a mark on the hull of a British merchant ship showing the maximum safe loading level, so that inspectors, crews and port officials could see at a glance whether a ship was overloaded. It later became an international standard.

Who opposed it: some shipowners, who argued that it interfered with their freedom to run their business and that the shipowner was the best judge of the risk. Early versions of the measure were weakened, and the owner could in the first law decide where the mark was placed (check).

Who supported it: Samuel Plimsoll, who wrote a book and campaigned in Parliament, seamen's unions and many members of the public, who were shocked by reports of "coffin ships" insured for more than their value (check).

Evidence to judge its effect: wreck and loss-of-life returns before and after, Board of Trade inquiries, insurance records, and comparisons with countries that had no such rule. The difficulty is separating its effect from that of other changes in shipbuilding and regulation.

Care: Plimsoll is often given the whole credit. Check how much the line owed to officials, the unions and earlier proposals.