Lee BattrickNEWS
Boat owners are being
reminded about the dangers
of carbon monoxide and the
preventative measures which
can be taken to stay safe
on board.
It follows a recent inquest
into the death of Jersey boat
owner Kenneth Jeffery, who
died on his vessel Mai Oui in
St Helier Marina.
The inquest into his death
found that Mr Jeffery, who was
ex-Merchant Navy and used to
be a ship’s pilot, died fromThe British government has
gone to the European Court
of Justice to defend the
availability of red diesel for
recreational boating.
The European Commission
believes the UK is in breach of
EU rules outlawing fuel tax
loopholes, by allowing British
yacht owners to buy red
diesel, which has a lower tax
levy compared to conventionalt: 023 8045 4507
e: [email protected] | WWW.VETUS.COM
SYSTEMS SOLUTION
The
ENGINES | STERN GEAR | FUEL | INSTRUMENTS | FRESH WATER | WASTE WATER | MANOEUVRING | ELECTRICAL | STEERING | HATCHES | VENTILATIONfor WASTE WATER
carbon monoxide poisoning.
Lee Battrick, a Jersey-based
marine surveyor and
consultant who was appointed
by the island’s coroner as an
expert witness, told PBO that
he found nothing wrong with
Mr Jeffery’s boat or the
exhaust system on board.
Instead, he concluded that
the carbon monoxide that
poisoned the 73-year-old was
caused as a result of the
‘station-wagon’ effect,
whereby emissions from aboat’s exhaust accumulate
behind the boat or travel back
into the boat due to pressure
differential, usually when the
boat is underway.
Mr Jeffery was was running
the engine while moored in
preparation for a visit from a
potential buyer. He had
unzipped the rear section of
his boat’s canopy, but not the
port or starboard panels. This,
said Battrick, combined with
the wind conditions that day,
resulted in the carbonmonoxide gas being blown
back into the boat.
Battrick, with the assistance
of the Boat Safety Scheme,
has now distributed
information warning of the
risks of carbon monoxide – an
odourless and colourless gas
that is difficult to detect – to
chandlers’, engineers and
boatyards across Jersey.
The island’s harbourmaster
has also issued a warning
about the gas and leaflets
have been sent out across
the Channel Islands.
‘Ken Jeffery was very keen
on safety and even someone
as experienced as him was
caught out by this,’ said
Battrick. He said all boaters
should be aware of the
symptoms of carbon
monoxide poisoning: they
include headaches, nausea,
dizziness and ultimately loss
of consciousness.
Battrick urged all boaters to
fit a carbon monoxide alarm
on board. The MAIB has
campaigned for long time for
alarms to be fitted on new
recreational boats. Battrick,
who will be sending his
inquest findings to the MAIB,
said maintenance was vital.
‘Maintenance and
inspections of all systems on
board that produce carbon
monoxide is essential. A boat
is a confined space and if you
are sat there on a cold day
with all your covers shut up,
the carbon monoxide can still
come in and get you.’diesel, for use in UK waters.
The Commission said in
2011 it would start infraction
proceedings against the UK
and in 2013 formally requested
legislation be amended ‘to
ensure that private pleasure
boats such as luxury yachts
can no longer buy lower-taxed
fuel intended for fishing boats’.
Her Majesty’s Revenue and
Customs (HMRC) said it wouldchallenge this and, as a result,
in July 2014 the Commission
referred the UK to the Court of
Justice. HMRC has now
lodged its defence with the
court.
A spokesman for the RYA
said if the UK was forced to
make a change from red to
unmarked white diesel, supply
could become a problem.
‘It is likely that supplierswould find it difficult to make
the significant investment
required to install additional
tanks and pumps for
unmarked white diesel,’
he said.
There were reports in June
of British boaters being fined
in Belgium for having red
diesel, though the country’s
government has said the fines
have been suspended.Fit alarms, boaters are told
after carbon monoxide death
HMRC defends the use of red diesel by British boaters
Kenneth Jeffery, an experienced former
merchant seaman, died aboard his motor
yacht Mais Oui in St Helier Marina, Jersey