Thursday, 06 May 2010 09:54
In the third of the RYA’s series on how to be a greener powerboat enthusiast,
Sam Jefferson addresses the issue of fuel spillages.
Let’s be honest, it has happened to us all. From personal experience I can shamefully recall fuelling up a particularly large motorboat on the Thames. After standing dutifully by the nozzle for a couple of minutes I got bored and jammed it open. This left me free to wander around doing other important tasks such as drinking coke and sunbathing. Ten minutes later, I returned to find the boat, part of the deck and a large section of the Thames all fully fuelled up.
What did I do? Panic of course. Tearing away from the fuel jetty, I proceeded to fill the Thames with enough Fairy Liquid to host a pretty respectable foam party on a quarter mile stretch of the river. Not only was this extremely embarrassing but it was also extremely bad for the environment. So, given my predicament, was this the right thing to do? I caught up with the experts from the Green Blue Programme to find out . . .
- Check your bilge before pumping, as oil and fuel can leak from the engine and gather down below
- Use a drip tray under the engine to catch leaks (this is a legal requirement on many inland waterways)
- Use a bilge sock to absorb oil and fuel in the bilges
- Use a funnel when pouring fuel or oil
- Use a fuel collar to catch drips when refuelling
- Avoid overfilling your tank to help reduce the risk of fuel overflowing from vents
- Allow room for expansion in the tank
- Maintain fuel lines, connections and seals to help avoid leaks
- Transfer oil and fuel in proper containers
- Dispose of waste oil at appropriate facilities
- Dispose of all oily or fuel-soaked materials in hazardous waste containers
- Avoid using oil and fuel on the pontoons, other than on those dedicated to refuelling
- If possible, on land, do not to use oil and fuel within ten metres of the shore
- Never store oil and fuel in areas that are prone to flooding or extremes of wind or tide