- Make sure you are keeping to any marina or mooring-owner guidance and rules on refuelling and the handling of petrol on their sites.
- To prevent petrol vapour being blown back or flowing down into the boat during refuelling, close all windows, hatches, doors and awnings; also turn off all cooking appliances and other ignition sources before removing any tank or container caps.
- Avoid decanting petrol from containers, but if you have to, use proprietary anti-spill containers, spouts or nozzles to allow, clean and easy, no-spill refuelling.
- Before pouring starts, double check the correct filling point has been selected. If the worst thing happens and fuel goes down the wrong hole, deal with the situation immediately and get help if you have any issues about handling the clean-up safely. Warn people around the boat what has happened and what you are doing in order to prevent them from igniting the petrol vapour accidentally.
- Petrol leaks and spills can readily vaporise and ignite in an instant. Clean up any loose fuel straight away and make sure filler caps are secure after refuelling.
- Before starting the boat’s engine, turning any switch or lighting any flame, check once again that no petrol vapours have entered the boat; the extra weight and pressure of the fuel may reveal leaks or weeps that may not be there with less fuel.
- If there’s a strong smell of petrol do not assume it is OK to carry on. Open all windows, hatches, doors and covers to ventilate the boat until the smell has gone and if the smell persists, investigate the source.
- If fitted, run the bilge blower system according to the owner’s manual
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