There may be occasions when a non-load lined U.S. vessel needs to make a domestic or international "positioning" voyage outside the Boundary Line (or on the Great Lakes) for which a load line assignment would normally be required.
Examples of such occasions may be a delivery or scrapping voyage, a shipyard overhaul in another port, or a change in employment venue.
In such cases, the local USCG Officer-in-Charge of Marine Inspection (OCMI) may issue a single voyage load line exemption (domestic or international ICLL) that allows the vessel to make the voyage.
Obtaining a Single Voyage Load Line Exemption
Requests for a single voyage (one-way) load line exemption should be made in writing by the vessel's
owner/operator to the OCMI of the departure port;
The OCMI will inspect the vessel to ensure it is seaworthy enough to make the voyage (general condition
of the hull, integrity of closures, satisfactory stability for the voyage, etc);
The conditions under which the voyage may be made will be stated on the exemption authorization. This
includes the ports of departure and arrival, period of validity (dates), heavy weather limitations, etc;
The vessel is not permitted to carry passengers or commercial cargo (however, it can carry company equipment);
The return voyage, if needed, is considered a separate voyage. A new exemption must be requested from
the OCMI of that port.
Contact the Naval Architecture Division:
Attn: Naval Architecture Division
U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7509
2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20593-7509