For charter guests and owners of larger yachts, refueling is something that is left in the expert hands of the captain and crew. However, it’s important to understand the basics of providing fuel to boats and yachts and why this can impact the yacht’s itinerary, the price of a charter yacht, and the length of time a yacht can cruise for.
Anaïs Rousse of Girardin Yachting answers some of the most common questions about yacht fuel.
#1 How much does refueling your yacht cost?
The price of fuel can vary because of the market price, but it can also depend on whether the yacht is a private or a commercial one. Duty-free diesel is much less expensive, but it is subject to many regulations to be used. Within the price, there are also other costs, such as port taxes, which can vary from 1 cent per liter to 5 cents per liter.
#2 How much fuel does a yacht use?
This depends on the yacht, its engines, and its navigation.
- The majority of the time, older yachts consume much less fuel than newer ones, but they also don’t travel as quickly.
- Yacht fuel capacities can vary from 1,000 liters to one million liters.
- Owners usually choose to have big tanks for fuel so they can travel longer distances, rather than having a smaller tank with extra guest space on board.
- It depends on the use of the vessel.
#3 What fuel does a yacht use?
The most common types are
- duty-free fuel,
- duty-paid fuel, and
- bio-free fuel.
The latter is regarded as the ‘king product’ for the function of engines.
How long does it take to refuel a yacht?
When we deliver fuel to a yacht, we adjust to the size of the vessel, its engines, and the fuel pipes. Our biggest fuel trucks can deliver 800 liters per minute.
Where do yachts refuel?
It is most common for yachts to refuel in ports via fuel trucks. In terms of destinations, taxes on fuel vary from country to country so many yachts choose to go to areas with lower taxes, such as Gibraltar.
