Robin
Well-Known Member
Urban myths and paranoia?
We record fuel purchases, amounts, price paid and from where bought in the log together with engine hours. I would not expect to have a problem with having legal UK bought red diesel in our 33 gallon tank. Quite apart from the fact that in that quantity the amount of tax were it due abroad would be peanuts.
IF on the other hand I was on a big Mobo say that had additional fuel in say a 45 gallon drum or multiple jerry cans on deck it might be different. It also might be different if somehow I was running around in said Mobo with tank(s) full of red diesel yet hundreds of miles from the UK, because that might suggest some illegal topping up from a tax free source in the host country. The context I would suggest has some influence as to the amount of interest any overseas officials might take, for sure the normal French Douaniers do not routinely come on board with fuel sampling kits!
As others have said, French boats will fill up in the UK and with red diesel because there is no other kind available quayside and what else can they do - phone the French CG for a tow home? Thousands of UK boats visit French, Belgian and Dutch ports every week in summer and ALL will have red diesel on board. A couple of incidents heavily reported may give cause for concern but I still think there were other factors not so widely reported, starting with a bit of True British ATTITUDE, johny foreigner has no rights kind of thing.
Of course the alternative would be we all stay at home, because ridding our tanks of red die is not that easy.
We record fuel purchases, amounts, price paid and from where bought in the log together with engine hours. I would not expect to have a problem with having legal UK bought red diesel in our 33 gallon tank. Quite apart from the fact that in that quantity the amount of tax were it due abroad would be peanuts.
IF on the other hand I was on a big Mobo say that had additional fuel in say a 45 gallon drum or multiple jerry cans on deck it might be different. It also might be different if somehow I was running around in said Mobo with tank(s) full of red diesel yet hundreds of miles from the UK, because that might suggest some illegal topping up from a tax free source in the host country. The context I would suggest has some influence as to the amount of interest any overseas officials might take, for sure the normal French Douaniers do not routinely come on board with fuel sampling kits!
As others have said, French boats will fill up in the UK and with red diesel because there is no other kind available quayside and what else can they do - phone the French CG for a tow home? Thousands of UK boats visit French, Belgian and Dutch ports every week in summer and ALL will have red diesel on board. A couple of incidents heavily reported may give cause for concern but I still think there were other factors not so widely reported, starting with a bit of True British ATTITUDE, johny foreigner has no rights kind of thing.
Of course the alternative would be we all stay at home, because ridding our tanks of red die is not that easy.
