Can I use red diesel in my boat after April 2022?
Budget 2021 announced that the government would maintain the entitlement to use red diesel beyond April 2022 for all commercial boat operating industries, including but not limited to the fishing and inland water freight industries.
Red Diesel has a lot of names, such as gas oil, tractor diesel, generator diesel, marine diesel, 35 seconds, and even cherry juice.
HM Treasury has confirmed its decision to maintain recreational boaters' entitlement to use red diesel beyond April 2022.
The use of red diesel with full duty paid for propelling private pleasure craft is permitted under UK national legislation within UK waters.
Marine diesel oil (MDO) is also composed differently than regular diesel fuel. Unlike the diesel you fuel your car with, MDO contains some heavy fuel oil.
Can red diesel go off? Red diesel will stay in good condition in a tank for up to a year. It is recommended if you have any doubts about the quality of your fuel you get a trusted fuel expert like Beesley Fuels to check it for you. Red diesel has up to 1-year shelf life, providing good storage and maintenance.
Can Red Diesel Damage Your Engine? No, it can't. It's the same as on-road diesel except for the dye. If you have a diesel engine, it can run on farm fuel.
Currently, the forestry, fishing, agriculture and construction trades are the only industries that are permitted to use red diesel.
From 1 April 2022 it will be illegal to put red diesel into vehicle and machinery fuel tanks in the UK, except in very limited and specific circumstances.
2.5 Other machinery
Other machinery, engines, or appliances may use rebated (red) diesel when being used: for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture, aquatic farming or forestry. on a golf course (including a driving range) or land maintained by a community amateur sports club.
Why is marine diesel red?
In 1994, the IRS ruled that all tax-exempt diesel fuel would be dyed red, and the EPA's blue dye went by the wayside. Currently, all diesel used in the United States for “off road” purposes such as marine is dyed red. This year, the federal excise tax on diesel fuel for highway use is 24 cents a gallon.
The current law is that red diesel can be used in any machine which is not a road vehicle. From 1 April 2022 the law will change so that rebated fuel use is limited to certain types of vehicles, machines, and appliances when the fuel is used for specific purposes only.
Red diesel can only be used on the road by 'exempted' vehicles. To qualify these vehicles must be engaged in an agricultural, horticultural or forestry-related activity.
| Current Fuel Prices | |
|---|---|
| Marine Fuel | (per litre) |
| Diesel - Commercial | £1.40 |
| Diesel at 60/40 - Propulsion/Domestic | £1.67 |
| Petrol (E10 only) | £1.90 |
Red diesel is diesel used mainly for off-road purposes, such as to power bulldozers and cranes used in the construction industry, or to power drills for oil extraction.
You can use the same gas you'd put in a car for a boat with a gas engine. And for a boat with a diesel engine, you can use the same diesel you'd put in a car. So, usually, boats use the same gas as cars, and the only difference is with the price and rest everything is the same.
Lower Fuel Costs
While both marine gas oil (MGO) and marine diesel oil (MDO) constantly fluctuate in cost, on average, diesel cost less than gasoline. In an article published in Boats.com, it was found than that diesel averages at $2.50 per gallon, while marine gasoline averages $2.97.
Most regular diesel fuel has a cetane rating of 43 to 45, which should be fine for most boat engines.
If you're caught using red fuel illegally, your vehicle could be seized by the authorities and you'll have to pay a fee for the vehicle's release, along with the amount to cover the duty owed. Serious offences could result in an unlimited fine to the operator and a prison sentence of up to two years.
The officers subsequently called in police when they discovered the “laundering” equipment which allowed the red dye to be removed by filtering it through cat litter granules which had been ground down. Mr Scott said that Legavicius used the diesel for his own vehicles.
Can you run an oil boiler on red diesel?
Want to know the best part? IHO is a drop-in replacement fuel, so there's no need to empty your tanks of red diesel beforehand as IHO can be added to existing red diesel stocks. It's fully miscible with gas oil too, which means that you don't need to make any modifications to your burner to make the switch!
If you don't use Redex DPF Cleaner at this stage, or at least take your car for a long drive, your DPF will get very blocked, and your car could go into limp mode. A mechanic can then perform a “forced regeneration”, where they burn away the blockage, but this usually costs around £250.
Quite simply, it's exactly the same as typical diesel except that a red dye has been added to it so that illegal use can be detected. Both gas oil (or red diesel) and kerosene are both taxed at a lower rate because they're not meant to be used in road vehicles.
Which vehicles can use red diesel? Any vehicle, machine or generator that operates on regular diesel will be able to physically use red diesel as a fuel. That's because red diesel and white/road diesel are essentially the same fuels, except for the addition of red dye and chemical markers in red diesel.
For HMRC to test for the use of gas oil, they need to locate a marker dye within the fuel or tank using dip testing. The red colour is added to make it easily identifiable as red diesel. What is blue diesel? Blue diesel is no different than red diesel, apart from the colour.
If you use red diesel in agricultural vehicles, machines and appliances for purposes relating to Agriculture you will also be able to use them for any other purposes on private land where they are ordinarily kept.
Red diesel can currently be used by construction companies to power their plant machinery. It is cheaper than road fuel thanks to a rebate of 46.81p per litre, which is taken off the full price of road fuel. The diesel is dyed red so that it cannot be used in a standard road vehicle, which would be illegal.
One of the most common is to remove the red coloration from the diesel. In the UK, a diazo dye — Solvent Red 19, 24 or 26 — is used to colour the diesel. Fraudsters can remove the colour using an acid or alkali which renders the dye colourless, or by stripping the dye from the diesel using activated carbon.
The change in law. The change is being made to help meet the government's climate change and air quality targets. From 1 April 2022 red diesel can only be used for the following purposes: for vehicles and machinery used in agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry.
In April 2020, the Government announced its ban on red diesel, as part of its drive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Red diesel is ordinary “white diesel” that is used in road vehicles, but it contains a dye and is taxed at a much lower rate.
Can you run red diesel in a truck?
What is red diesel used for? Red diesel is chemically no different than any other fuel, so it can be used in your truck, as heating fuel, and in a generator. However, this product is reserved for agricultural and construction equipment and other off-road uses.
You won't have to worry about which type to use because all diesel automakers specify Diesel #2 for normal driving conditions. Truckers use Diesel #2 to carry heavy loads for long distances at sustained speeds because it's less volatile than Diesel #1 and provides greater fuel economy.
MGO has a transparent to light color. If the marine fuel is used in inland waterway shipping, like heating oil it must be marked with Solvent Yellow 124 dye. In addition, the marine gasoil is colorized red.
From 1 April it becomes illegal to put red diesel into any tank, vehicle or machine not covered by the new rules. The switch to white diesel will increase fuel costs by about 47p per litre for many businesses and organisations across the country.
What's the fine for using red diesel illegally? There isn't a fixed fine, but if you're found using it illegally, the HMRC will charge you for the restoration of your vehicle's system to clean your tank and filters to remove the marker dye. You will be charged a fee for its removal.
You may use red diesel in a mowing machine when it's being used: for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture, aquatic farming or forestry. on a golf course or on land maintained by a community amateur sports club. on land occupied by a travelling fair or travelling circus.
All you need to know about the forthcoming ban on the use of rebated red diesel. From 1st April 2022, many sectors will lose their entitlement to use 'red' diesel and rebated biodiesel across a variety of applications – and construction is one of the industries that is most affected.
3. Can You Mix Red Diesel and Normal Diesel. Yes, technically, you can since the main difference is the dye.
The officers subsequently called in police when they discovered the “laundering” equipment which allowed the red dye to be removed by filtering it through cat litter granules which had been ground down. Mr Scott said that Legavicius used the diesel for his own vehicles.
How is the law changing? The current law is that red diesel can be used in any machine which is not a road vehicle. From 1 April 2022 the law will change so that rebated fuel use is limited to certain types of vehicles, machines, and appliances when the fuel is used for specific purposes only.
Can you make red diesel clear?
One of the most common is to remove the red coloration from the diesel. In the UK, a diazo dye — Solvent Red 19, 24 or 26 — is used to colour the diesel. Fraudsters can remove the colour using an acid or alkali which renders the dye colourless, or by stripping the dye from the diesel using activated carbon.
Red diesel can only be used on the road by 'exempted' vehicles. To qualify these vehicles must be engaged in an agricultural, horticultural or forestry-related activity.
It's illegal to use red diesel in vehicles on public roads (although there are some exceptions such as when gritting roads). Gas oil is legal in most off-road vehicles, machinery and commercial heating systems.
Due to a recent change in April 2022, canal boats can no longer use red diesel as a means of fuelling propulsion of their craft. So engines that propel your canal boat are clearly a big no no! However, you can still use red diesel for heating on your boat.
Red diesel can currently be used by construction companies to power their plant machinery. It is cheaper than road fuel thanks to a rebate of 46.81p per litre, which is taken off the full price of road fuel. The diesel is dyed red so that it cannot be used in a standard road vehicle, which would be illegal.
The majority of Red diesel users will need to use an alternative fuel with White diesel and HVO being suitable alternatives to consider. In addition, now may be the time to consider the use of Electric machines.
The change in law. The change is being made to help meet the government's climate change and air quality targets. From 1 April 2022 red diesel can only be used for the following purposes: for vehicles and machinery used in agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry.
Using red diesel is legal only in a tractor used solely for agricultural use. This means that if you also take on non-agricultural jobs, then you must use white fuel for all the work you do, whether it is agricultural or not.