Green Coverage – Fuel Spill Liability

Coverage for Fuel Spill Liability is featured on certain polices. In addition to a policy’s standard liability coverage, an additional $854,400 is available in fuel spill liability. This extra liability protects your clients from claims for cleanup or 3rd party damage due to the accidental discharge of oil or fuel that can occur in a sinking, fire, collision, grounding, etc. This “green coverage” is crucial now that federal and state laws subject boaters to liability for cleanup, containment, and environmental damage. 

Look Before You Pump

Many boaters want ethanol-free gas in their boats, but not all of them can find it. This means that boaters may be filling up their boats with higher blends of ethanol (i.e. E15) which can be dangerous. 

The danger in using this fuel in marine engines is twofold: in these higher blends with corn-ethanol, the ethanol molecules tend to separate and bind to water, causing engine failure. These fuels also burn hotter than regular gasoline and void warranties.

Currently, there isn’t a single marine engine warrantied to run on E15 and the resulting engine damage isn’t covered by insurance. Higher blends of ethanol gas are also usually cheaper at the pump too, so advise your clients to take a good long look at the pump before selecting fuel for their boat.

Need information about boat insurance? Give Casey Insurance Group a call at 888-537-1412 today!