No person shall in the Republic consign to be loaded on any ship, and no owner or master of any ship in the Republic, wherever she may be registered, shall cause or permit to be loaded on that ship any package or object of a gross weight of one thousand kilograms or more, unless its weight is plainly and durably marked on the outside of the package or object: Provided that in the case of a package or object of such a character that its exact weight would be difficult to ascertain an approximate weight may be so marked accompanied by the word "APPROXIMATE" or "ONGEVEER" or any reasonable abbreviation thereof.

[Section 238 substituted by section 9 of Act No. 23 of 1997]