Belgium: UK boater fined for red diesel
Published: 2017-07-01 08:00:00
Countries:
Belgium
,
United Kingdom
As reported by Practical Boat Owner Magazine.
Whilst checking into the country, Belgian customs found traces of red diesel in a yacht's fuel tank from a previous fuel stop in the U.K. and fined the owner €500.
It is still legal to use red dyed diesel fuel in U.K. to propell pleasure craft, but some European authorities have begun stepping up enforcement of the non-taxed diesel.
Read the entire report here.
An RYA spokesperson responded to the incident: "At present we do not know whether this fine was an isolated incident or if it is a signal that the Belgian authorities are taking a tougher approach towards UK flagged boats. In order to establish a fuller picture of the situation, we would urge anyone who is fined in Belgium for having red diesel in their tanks to email boating.abroad@rya.org.uk giving as much detail as possible."