In the course of discussing wilderness refueling, Rob Dean brought
up the question of "Why does the starport charge to fill the fuel tank
from a hose (water = unrefined)?" (Paraphrased).
Steve and I discussed the question and decided to share our thoughts with
you.
1) A free trader uses 165,000 gallons of water (tank of unrefined fuel)
at a cost of Cr 4,644. We haven't checked local water prices lately, but
certainly running that much water through your meter would cost you a fair
fraction of that amount (more in California), ignoring taxes and connection
fees, overhead for the high-capacity water system the starport uses, and, if
it isn't water, but ammonia, that you're using for unrefined, it's cheap at
the price.
2) Most worlds with any kind of government at all insist that you
land/dock at what's called a "Port of Entry" so local Customs & Immigration
can make sure you're not bringing in anything they disapprove of and pay
duties and tariffs on the stuff they do approve of. In which case, the
starport has a captive clientele and will charge all the market can bear.
This, by the way, explains why you don't just land on the beach and drop a
hose in the ocean; if you do, lots of impatient, armed people from the local
equivalent of the DEA, the Coast Guard, Customs & Immigration are going to
want to know just WHY you thought it was a good idea to bypass the legal Port
of Entry.... And, if the world's law levels are high enough, the local Air
Defense Command might use your ship for target practice. (Remember that
Soviet version ADC that got into trouble for letting that light plane land in
Red Square? And DIDN'T get into trouble (internally, ignoring world opinion)
for shooting down KAL 007?)
3) On worlds with a lot of traffic (any Hi Pop world), what passes for
Traffic Control might get a little upset if you just start improvising your
own landing paths (to stray bodies of water). So will the previously
mentioned Air Defense Command. I don't know how it works outside the US, but
if you violate FAA regulations (i.e., ignore landing directives from Traffic
Control) they fine you heavily, and maybe revoke your pilot's license. I
already mentioned what ADC's have been known to do.
-- Cynthia & Steve
P.S. If you thought to stop in the ocean and refuel on the way OUT, the
authorities might want to know who you were meeting and what you are carrying
that you had to bypass the normal Export controls....