Bunkering mid channel

[DepSol]

Does any one know if there any rules for a freight vessel wishing to bunker regularly about 15 miles of England?

For all those who are panicking about Red Diesel, I had a conversation today which should secure me the right vessel to make my idea a realty.



<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I guess HM C & E will take the same view as with the booze 'n fags boat moored off Hartlepool. Buy it in an EU country yourself and bring it back into the UK for your own use and you're OK. Buy it outside the EU and try to bring it back into the UK and you're in trouble and I guess a ship moored outside the 12mile limit selling cheap diesel will be viewed as the latter
Good luck, though

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[jfm]

I think it's as follows:

If you buy in another EU country you can bring it into UK tax free for personal use. But if you buy outside the EU (I mean, fuel that starts life in CI, then is brought by ship to the 12.1 mile point, then bort by a Solent boater) it will be imported by Mr Solent boater into UK as soon as the 12mile line is crossed. Which means C&E could fight this by billing Mr Solent boater for the tax on the fuel as soon as he crosses the 12mile line. Or when he ties up in Chichester. Which would massively put the kaibosh on this whole idea I'm afraid

Customs would not need proof, only reasonable grounds to assess the tax. Onus of proof then flips to Mr Solent Boater, under UK tax laws which have an element of guilty till proven innocent about them. Mr SOlent boater then has to tell the truth in delaing with the tax assessment else criminal penalties.

So Dom, make sure you get a nice short term wet lease on that fuel tanker, ok. Dont buy it outright, ferchrissakes...

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[hlb]

But I had this years ago. OK not bunkering out at sea. I used to drive a truck to among Baghdad, Basera and Kuwaite, Mainly to Saudi, where diesel was 4p a gallon. I used to bring it back and refuel anywhere where it was cheaper than here. All 650 gallons of it. Now the rule was that you could bring a normal tank full of fuel into the country. They asked about fags, booze and gifts. But never about diesel. But anyway I still think they'd get upset if Dom set up a fuel barge mid chanel!! I mean, it's not very discreate. Is it!!!

<hr width=100% size=1> No one can force me to come here. I'm a volunteer!!.

Haydn

 

[steverow]

I thought we'd been through this one before Dom, the precedent being the offshore offie off Hartlepool.
As far as customs are concerned they would only have to harass a few boats coming back to the south coast for word to get around and it'd all be over in a week...no customers.
People 'aint that hardy mate. First sign of trouble and 80% are off, that's assuming
that you could even entice the vast majority to venture beyond bramble bank in the first place.

Steve.


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[tcm]

Re: and france

same thing. Fuel tankers miles offshore in the med, big boats tear out for a fillup, gget stoped on the way back. But rather the "reasonable grounds" envisaged by jfm below, the Douanes simplty charged every single boat they found the tax/duty on the entire contents of their tanks.

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[Peppermint]

Re: Safety

Call your venture "Emergency Fuel Services CI" Everyone who uses you should sign to say they were below safety limits and needed to fill up for safety reasons.

You'll probably get a grant.

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[DepSol]

Re: Safety

Now thats more like Stavros /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

Think I would have to sit further off the 13 mile limit though. Could set it up as an offshore Cafe where you buy a cup of coffee for £50 and with every cup of coffee you get 145 litres of fuel to compensate for coming out here to get it.

Could call it Coasta Coffee. And if you have a croissant you can get 200 fags of your choice.

Or you get a scratch card with each order and funny enough you are a winner of a free tank of fuel.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery

 

[DepSol]

Seems that the guy in Hartlepool has had his stock impounded twice but is still trading. Bet you half the customers will be coppers.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Now your cooking

literally.

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[ari]

Re: Now your cooking

There is also the practical issues of going alongside a big ship mid channel in anything other than flat calm conditions and staying alongside long enough to fuel and pay without damage.

Good luck with that one!

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[DepSol]

Re: Now your cooking

That bits been sorted. pontoon fixed on both sides of the ship and the refuelling is done on the lea side. If the weathers too bad no one is going to be out there any way.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery

 

[mjf]

Re: Now your cooking

Not really an issue if the mother ship is large enough and makes a good lee.

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[ari]

Re: Now your cooking

Its still going to be churning about a bit in anything other than flat calm surely...?

Presumably you can lift the pontoons out and onto deck when it gets rough?

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[DepSol]

Re: Now your cooking

Of course and they will be well fendered already.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom
watch this space

 

[PhilF]

Re: Now your cooking

couldn't you just bluetooth it across or better, virtual boating, the weathers better and its cheaper, no crowds or rag rage etc

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[jfm]

Re: Now your cooking

Pontoons? lee side? Are you in denial over the tax raid that will occur on about day 3 of this operation? The £150 cup of coffee idea wont work by the way

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[DepSol]

Re: Now your cooking

Raid not on my ship matey. Pray do tell why the cup of coffee thing wont work as it has been working over here for ages. Guy wasnt allowed to sell anything but chocolate on a Sunday so he sold chocolate and gave away loads of stuff altho the chocloate was expensive.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom
watch this space

 

[jimi]

Re: Now your cooking

I have a better idea, why don't you just get a pump based in St PP with a very long hose that would stretch to Yarmouth and just let boats fill up in Yarmouth. As the pump as the point of delivery would be based in St PP it obviously would be free of UK excise duty .. would save all that faffing about with bunket boats and such like!

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[jfm]

Re: Now your cooking

Agree, raid not on your ship. Raid on your customers. Who will then never visit your ship, and tell their friends. So same thing really....

The coffee thing really does not work. I can imagine the chocolate guy got away with it because the authorities couldn't be bothered. But if tanks full of red diesel are coming into UK from 15miles out the UK C&E will care and will not turn a blind eye. You dont really want me to explain the coffee price thing do you, it's obvious that it doesn't actually work...isn't it?

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