Red diesel problems in Belgium again it seems

sailorman

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You do not but when you get back you get the RYA to challenge the belgian customs that they did not test the dosage either so as there was no proof that you were over the limit they had no right to fine you. Therefore, money back. That is if the RYA do the job we members pay them to do. In fact they should wait until the end of the year & do one massive case on the basis that none was checked so none could be proven 100% & if it ain't 100% then they cannot fine you on a " suspicion"

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westhinder

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correct, so what is the acceptable limit the Belgians will accept

I am still awaiting Belgian Customs' full answer, but the preliminary reply referred me to a text stating 'fuel containing marker' without quantifying. I take that to mean 'a measurable quantity of red marker', so even a very small trace. A more extensive answer was promised by the end of the week, so watch this space.
And for the doubters among us, this is every bit as annoying for Belgian boats visiting British waters as for British boats visiting Belgian ports.
 

Bru

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I cleaned my tanks fully & there is no sign of red. .

You've got rid of the visual red dye, trust me that there will still be detectable levels of the chemical marker present and will be for a very long time

It's quite easy to get rid of the coloured dye, the marker is next to impossible to eradicate

(What we don't know is whether the Belgian officials are using suitable testing equipment to detect the levels of the marker or whether they're just doing a visual check for red dye)
 

Cantata

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Friends of mine overnighted in Oostende last night, were encouraged by the HM (I assume Royal North Sea) to leave ASAP this morning, he said the Douane were checking every port every day. They escaped to France unscathed.
 

Pinnacle

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To me the situation is very simple...........just don't go there.


That way you can be sure you wont be fined. :D
 

PeterR

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To me the situation is very simple...........just don't go there.


That way you can be sure you wont be fined. :D

One complication is that the new shipping routes and wind farms off the Dutch/Belgium coast make it very difficult to get to Holland without transiting through Belgian waters. You cannot sail through the Belgian wind farms so unless you go North up to Lowestoft and cross from. there you will still run the risk of being fined. OK the risk is much lower than if you go into one of their ports but they do have a track record of fining boats in transit..
 

Cheery

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dyes

Really dudes, some of you guys need to get out a bit and, we'll.........

A clue. A few years ago, I was on my own yacht in Venezuela. I bought 180 litres of diesel . It cost a smidge less than 2 quid.

It is what is.

:encouragement:

Not quite so safe at the moment, so saving a few hundred $ is low on the radar. I also thought they had stopped visiting yachts from buying the subsidised stuff?
 

sailorman

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You do not but when you get back you get the RYA to challenge the belgian customs that they did not test the dosage either so as there was no proof that you were over the limit they had no right to fine you. Therefore, money back. That is if the RYA do the job we members pay them to do. In fact they should wait until the end of the year & do one massive case on the basis that none was checked so none could be proven 100% & if it ain't 100% then they cannot fine you on a " suspicion"

A member since 1974

The point you are making?

The point is i am a member & have been for some time, as no doubt have you
 

sailorman

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I have just received an email, it seems that the ( some ) Belgians are taking note
The issue has been raised in the Chambre (BE Commons).
http://www.focus-wtv.be/nieuws/kamerlid-vraagt-douane-soepeler-om-te-gaan-met-rode-diesel


i have translated

[ Nieuwpoort
Sabien Lahaye-Battheu, Popsingu (Open Vld), calls on customs services to monitor more pragmatically for the use of red diesel.

Yesterday, you could see in our news that some British sailors in Nieuwpoort were fined in recent days because the customs in their fuel tank had found traces of red diesel. They call up countrymen to leave our country on the left. According to the Kamerlid, customs have to be more flexible. She calls finance minister Van Overtveldt to follow the position of his predecessors. They tolerated the use of the fuel.

Consequences for tourism

"In England, only such diesel is available in marinas. Even if they have used white diesel elsewhere, there are often traces of red diesel," says Lahaye-Battheu. "The ban also applies in the Netherlands and France, but British can show them where they have thought and are not fined. The consequences for our marinas and all those living in tourism near those ports are not few. They see a A large part of their income is lost because British sailors avoid our country, "says Lahaye-Battheu.]
 
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Heckler

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I have just received an email, it seems that the ( some ) Belgians are taking note
The issue has been raised in the Chambre (BE Commons).
http://www.focus-wtv.be/nieuws/kamerlid-vraagt-douane-soepeler-om-te-gaan-met-rode-diesel


i have translated

[ Nieuwpoort
Sabien Lahaye-Battheu, Popsingu (Open Vld), calls on customs services to monitor more pragmatically for the use of red diesel.

Yesterday, you could see in our news that some British sailors in Nieuwpoort were fined in recent days because the customs in their fuel tank had found traces of red diesel. They call up countrymen to leave our country on the left. According to the Kamerlid, customs have to be more flexible. She calls finance minister Van Overtveldt to follow the position of his predecessors. They tolerated the use of the fuel.

Consequences for tourism

"In England, only such diesel is available in marinas. Even if they have used white diesel elsewhere, there are often traces of red diesel," says Lahaye-Battheu. "The ban also applies in the Netherlands and France, but British can show them where they have thought and are not fined. The consequences for our marinas and all those living in tourism near those ports are not few. They see a A large part of their income is lost because British sailors avoid our country, "says Lahaye-Battheu.]
They have just about managed to form a government, a new inexperienced minister and the jobsworths come out to play. Classic!
Never mind, market forces always prevail in the end!
Stu
 

Colvic Watson

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They have just about managed to form a government, a new inexperienced minister and the jobsworths come out to play. Classic!
Never mind, market forces always prevail in the end!
Stu

+1 it's a much bigger loss to them than it is to us. We've visited Belgium a number of times but since this all started a few years ago we've been exploring westwards and we've found a lot of places to like.
 
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