If you are laying up your motor-boat for a few months fuel contamination could be a real problem when starting up again.

Marine Red Diesel

Condensation in diesels tanks is the most common problem and it is recommended to avoid any space being taken up with moisture all tanks are filled for the lay- up periods.  As fuel levels lower in normal cruising the moisture-laden air condenses in the tank due to the ambient temperature changes. At this point water finds its way into your fuel and filters.  On the surface diesel bug can exist between the water and fuel having a detrimental effect on the fuel.  Another to keep the tank full whenever practicable

Petrol

Better to leave the tank empty when not cruising for long periods as petrol can go off over a long period. Symptoms are poor starting or even failure to start. Many companies provide fuel stabilizers when the tank is left full during several months of none cruising. Fuel Doctor is one such company that provide a fuel additive which also helps to give maximum power, improve fuel economy and prevent fuel system contamination. 

Fuel Expansion

Whilst full tanks for marine red diesel and when managed correctly in petrol tanks are steps to reduce the risk of contamination don’t forget that fuel expands on those warm days. A means to either collect any spillage, which should be removed as soon as practicable for safety reason, under the tank with a drip tray or leave a 10 % clearance space at the top of the tank to allow for expansion especially in the summer months.   If cruising outside the U.K. in warmer climes you may need to increase the clearance space mentioned above to prevent spillage due to increased expansion!

Conclusion

Near Full or empty is the best way to leave the tank when storing.

It is recognised that there is the potential for pollution incidents when boats are refuelled at fuel pontoons. One litre of spilt fuel can contaminate one million litres of water, with potentially serious consequences to marine flora and fauna. Oil and fuels are the most frequently reported pollutant of inland waters in England and Wales. The majority comes from everyday sources like refuelling, engine emissions and oil leaks.

General Precautions

• When fuelling, avoid topping off or overfilling to reduce the risk of fuel overflowing from vents. Allow room for expansion in the tank.
• Use a funnel when pouring fuel or oil.
• Avoid using oil and fuel on the pontoons, other than on those dedicated to refuelling. Off the boat, the Government recommends a distance of at least 10m from the water.
• Good maintenance of fuel lines, connections and seals helps avoid leaks.
• The most effective way to clean oily bilge water is to use an oil absorbent sock.
• Check bilge water for contaminants before routine pumping.
• Dispose of all oily or fuel-soaked materials in the hazardous waste containers.
• A drip tray under the engine is a requirement on many waterways. If it starts getting oily, find and mend the leak!

Further precautions when fuel supplied by road tanker

• Mooring lines should be tight and checked regularly throughout supply.
• There should be adequate length of transfer hose to avoid undue strain on the fuel connection.
• The hose should be in good condition, with no visible sign of damage.
  (Bulges, gouges, damage to the hose reinforcement).
• The connection at the vessel manifold must be sufficiently tightened and sealed.
• Vessel scuppers should be plugged and appropriate spill protection equipment readily available.
• The emergency shutdown procedure should be established with both crew and supplier before delivery takes place.
• There should be a no smoking ban with clear signs in place throughout fuelling and fire fighting equipment must be at the ready.
• Quantity and pumping rate should be agreed with the vessel and supplier before delivery.
• A vessel representative should inspect the trucks and agree the quantity before delivery.
• A vessel representative should witness the sampling of the product during delivery.
• Official sealed and documented samples should be retained by both vessel and supplier.
• Final quantity received on board should be agreed and signed for on the delivery note at completion of loading.

In the event of a spillage

To reduce the risk of serious pollution incidents, an emergency fuel spill kit box is kept in some marinas or the vessel itself carries it’s Emergency Spill products. This normally consists of oil/fuel absorbent pads and a containment boom. These absorbent materials pick up and contain hydrocarbons without water logging or sinking. Spills can therefore be effectively and efficiently dealt with,

Preventing serious pollution incidents from occurring.

For further information on the oil/fuel spill kits that are available, visit the Green Directory:http://thegreenblue.org.uk/greendirectory/index.asp. There are also spill kit products for the individual boat owner; these include fuel collars to catch any drips when refuelling, bilge socks and pads to deal with accidental spills and in line filters for bilge pumps.

www.marinefuelpoint.com

 From the 1^st November 2008 red diesel continues to be available to recreational boaters albeit fuel used for propulsion will be subject to the full rate of duty whilst fuel for domestic purposes e.g. heating, lighting etc will continue to be at the rebated rate.

Boat owners engaged in commercial boat operations e.g. yacht charters and deliveries

will continue to purchase fuel for propulsion at the rebated rate.

The new system works as follows for leisure boat owners. A written declaration is made to the vendor before purchase stating the percentage of fuel used for propulsion the balance as a percentage for domestic use. HMRC and the industry suggest a split of 60% for propulsion and 40% for domestic use, but the apportionment split is purely down to the owners intended usage and a level of honesty is required. After all HRMC may review the situation if the system does not work. 

The wording prescribed by HMR&C for this declaration is:-
“I declare that [  ] % of the fuel purchased will be used for propelling a private pleasure craft” and then the owner will be asked to pay the full rate of duty on the declared proportion of the fuel purchased. The vendor may also have a form to complete. Once the declaration is made there is nothing more to do.

HMRC have confirmed that VAT is charged at the reduced rate of 5% on fuel for propulsion and domestic use. A worked example is given below

This example assumes a 60% (propulsion) and 40% (domestic) split for a purchase of 100 litres of red diesel (the price of diesel is assumed to be 0.70ppl which includes 9.69ppl duty already paid to fuel supplier):

·         Propulsion calculation (i.e. 60%)

       60 litres @ 0.70ppl = £42
       60 litres @ 0.4066 = £24.40 (additional duty)
       VAT @ 5% = £3.32

     Propulsion Total = £69.72

·         Domestic calculation (i.e. 40%)

       40 litres @ 0.70ppl = £28
       VAT @ 5% = £ 1.40

     Domestic Total = £29.40

Transaction Total = £99.12

Don’t forget to keep invoices on board if travelling abroad on your boat where legislation for red diesel consumption can be different.

Overall the industry has welcomed this new system which has helped to alleviate major worries from leisure boat owners and the U.K. boating industry as a whole. Now let’s see if both U.K. boat owners, fuel suppliers and the HRMC can make the system work.

www.marinefuelpoint.com  08 December 2008.

With volatile marine fuel prices, changes in marine fuel legislation from one country to the next and concerns over availability how does a yacht owner keep in contact with his fuel broker or fuel supplier when operating from offshore?

On smaller motor yachts where range is limited to coastal cruising, surfing the internet for marine fuel prices and availability followed by a call before departure is the most efficient use of resources.

When accessing a line ashore Broadband speeds range from 2Mb, 8Mb up to 24Mb. Data limitations from unlimited, 40Gb to 1GB. Some marinas are recognising the need for a Broadband connection and offer a plug-in point providing quick and easy access which can be utilised to get fuel market data and to email brokers, when alongside.

‘Marina’ Wi-Fi’ Broadband in the event there’s no nearby local Wi-Fi signal (hotspot) from a national provider; some marinas provide a wireless internet access service. One such company is Square Mile one of Europe’s largest marina providers covering 50 u.k. marinas with Wi-Fi access. MDL marinas in the U.K. provide their own Wi-Fi.

What happens when there’s no plug-in point at say an anchorage or the yacht is no longer in the marinas Wi-Fi hotspot coverage? Where there’s mobile phone coverage offering Mobile Broadband, this is a cost effective means of getting varying online coverage..

Mobile Broadband offers mobile internet access on the go. By plugging in a mobile broadband dongle to a laptop or computer onboard connection speeds of 7.2Mb to 1.8Mb and download data size ranging from Unlimited, 15Gb, to 1Gb. Limits of 1Gb and 3Gb are ideal for checking emails and doing light browsing, not enough for large files. Speeds depend on the signal of the mobile operator with whom you have an agreement, so first ask fellow yacht owners what signal strengths they obtain locally before purchasing.

Online one can search for available hotspots some of which are provided free of charge, Jiwire.com has over thousands of hot spots registered; just enter the post code of your marina to find out availability, another the Cloud, the cloud.net and broadbandexpert.com provides good package comparisons.

For those wanting complete coverage; to make phone calls or emails to purchase marine fuel or need to keep live contact with your office and transfer files Inmarsat have delivered a new Broadband system for mariners. The Satellite Broadband ‘Fleet’ range ‘77’, ‘55’ and ‘33’ system by Inmarsat provides Voice, fax, and data communications for both ocean-going and coastal vessels, delivered via a range of antenna sizes to suit different types of

Consider carefully your long-term requirements from broadband internet before purchasing and the benefits. If you’re checking real time weather reports, downloading updated charts, or allowing your kids to game online then look for a provider that can handle heavy broadband demand in the harbour of your choice. Mobile broadband on coastal passages is one of the less expensive means to keep in touch when there is a signal available. When making large marine fuel purchases timely communications from offshore can reduce fuel costs and also offset the investment in Broadband on board.

www.MarineFuelPoint.com

VAT

HMRC have confirmed that VAT will continue to be charged at 5% on red diesel fuel for propulsion and domestic use. Only weeks before the fuel duty derogation for red diesel ends for propulsion on leisure craft the HRMC have cleared up some potential confusion in the industry regarding the amount of VAT to be charged. Good news, the VAT level is to remian at 5%,  i.e. not to be increased to 17.5%.

RED DIESEL FUEL DUTY

The expiry of the reduced rate of fuel duty is still going ahead and pleasure boat owners can expect an increase in fuel duty from the current 9.69 pence up to 50.35 pence from 1st November for all fuel declared for navigational(propulsion) purposes. Fuel duty for fuel declared for heating (domestic) purposes on both leisure and commercial boats remains unchanged at 9.69 pence. 

The Sail, Power & Watersports Show at Earls Court, London is scheduled for 26th - 30th November.  Promoted as delivering an exciting show for boating enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.

‘Whether you’re looking to buy a new boat, compare the latest boat accessories and watersports equipment, find that unique Christmas gift or would simply like to learn more about how you can get on the water, you’ll find the show offers a great variety to choose from and a wealth of information.’ 
 

To get more info and a preview of what’s on offer, click here.

HRMC clarified the way in which additional fuel duty is to be collected from the 1^st November 2008, at the Southampton Boat Show. It will affect private pleasure craft owners when purchasing red diesel for propulsion and to a lesser extent when purchasing red diesel for heating.

How will it work?

Private pleasure craft owners will be able to continue to use red diesel for propulsion use, but at a modified duty rate.

They will have to declare the percentage of fuel to be used for propulsion and domestic use respectively at time of purchase.

HMRC say “It is for the purchaser to declare the percentage of fuel used for propulsion.  However, analysis by both the industry and HMRC suggests that a split of 60% for propulsion and 40% for domestic use (heating, cooking etc) probably reflects most people’s use and it is therefore likely that many users will declare such an apportionment.”

Example:  100 litres purchased by a pleasure craft owner.

·         40 litres subject to the current rate of duty - 9.69 pence per litre (ppl) at 5% VAT

·         60 litres subject to full duty - 50.35ppl at 17.5% VAT.

The combined effect could well raise the cost of the fuel from 70p a litre to about £1.27 for propulsion.

Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils (RCDO) will need to account to HMRC for any additional duty they receive from recreational boaters.  RCDOs already owe a general duty of care to ensure that they only make supplies of controlled oil for legitimate uses.

Residential Boat Owners

Residential boat owners whose primary residence is their boat and hold certain documentation, such as a Houseboat Licence, Residential Mooring Licence, Council Tax Bill in respect of the mooring, or other peripheral documentation, invoices or bills which provides proof of permanent residency, they may purchase all their fuel at the rebated rate

Effect on the industry.

Availability and supply facilities remain unchanged at present. The increase in fuel costs over the last year will undoubtedly hit some areas of leisure boating. However from the 1^st November with resourceful boat owners adapting to new fuel duty legislation and perhaps using their boats slightly less than the current average of 50hrs per year, against a backdrop of possible recession it will be difficult to measure alone the effect this change in legislation will have on the U.K. boating industry.

www.marinefuelpoint.com         17^th September 2008

As the price of fuel increases well documented cases of recent fuel theft from buses, farms tanks and haulage vehicles are focusing the minds of boating business to come up with solutions to protect the fuel tanks on all types of boats.

In the U.K. boat owners seeing the price of the red diesel increase in line with other petro-fuels are already bracing themselves for further increases. From November 1^st 2008 the U.K. falls into fuel duty alignment with the European Union and ceases the derogation of red diesel for propulsion onboard private boats.  In addition the British government has taken the initiative to add the full duty of about GBP 0.55p per litre where the European Union suggests GBP 0.21 per litre.  The value of the fuel in the tank is set to nearly double, so why not invest in new deterrents?

One such device is called ‘Fuellock’

Advantages

·         Lessens the risk of attracting thefts of fuel from craft which are left unattended.

·         Insurance companies tend to treat fuel as a consumable item. This means boaters are not usually covered for thefts of fuel.

·         Colour coded lids lessen the risk of wrong fuel into tanks e.g. Diesel and Petrol.

·         Water tanks locks are also available and since coded in different colours prevent further cross contamination between fuel and water.

·         Retailing at GBP 34.99 plus P&P for one fuellock it becomes a relatively inexpensive method of protecting the fuel tank.

Disadvantages

·         Can only be retrofitted to any boat whose deck fittings use the popular 1 ½  inch BSP thread. Check your deck fittings.

·         Can any fuellock be 100% secure against the determined criminal?

Conclusion

In the U.K. summer of 2008 for 1,000 litres of red diesel the cost is around GBP 750 and for leisure marine users it is set to rise above GBP 1350 from November 01^st . Providing retrofit is possible it seems a small investment over the long term to protect ones fuel tank from theft and limit the risk of cross contamination..

www.MarineFuelPoint.com