Shipbroker Notes : Zone Allowance

Zone Allowance:
Example:  Tanker due to load in Italy and sail for the UK on 20 January (Winter Zone 1 November - 31 March). Whilst permitted to load to her summer marks in the Mediterranean, the ship has to pass through Zone 2 (these seasonal zones are part of the International Load Line Agreement) on her voyage, and here winter marks are stipulated between 1 November and 31 January. Unless the weight of bunkers, water and stores used in the five-day passage from Italy to the north of Spain, where the winter zone starts, is at least equal to the difference between the summer and winter deadweights, the ship cannot load to her summer marks. In such a case, the tanker would have to load to her winter marks plus the weight of bunkers etc estimated to be consumed before reaching the restrictive zone. This weight estimation is known as the ‘Zone Allowance’.