UK Oil Spill Treatment Products Approval Scheme
The MFA administers applications for the testing and assessment of oil dispersants and other oil treatment products intended for use in UK waters.
Approval of these products is required under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. The MFA acts as the licensing authority on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The current approval process requires that all oil dispersants undergo and pass an efficacy test to check their performance as oil treatment products.
Two toxicity tests are also required to assess potential environmental effects on marine aquatic species. Both a Sea test and a Rocky Shore test are required based on the fact that most dispersants can be used in the sea and on the shoreline. Shrimps are used in the Sea test and limpets are used in the Rocky Shore test.
Summaries of these tests are available via the links on this page.
Bioremediation products, designed to treat oil on contaminated shorelines, must also undergo additional testing. For further details please see the link to the efficacy Protocol for the testing of bioremediation products, as well as the toxicity protocol.
The time taken for the tests varies. The species used for the toxicity testing are collected out at sea and so the time taken is weather dependent. From receipt of the application testing usually takes approximately five weeks for sorbents and surface cleaners, ten weeks for dispersants, and six months for bioremediation products.
Where an applicant requests the MFA to arrange for these tests to be undertaken on a particular product a charge is payable.
Details of charges and the application process.
Alternatively, if an applicant submits data on a product's toxicity and efficacy that has been generated by an independent, accredited laboratory, a lower scale of charges apply.
The MFA have produced a booklet (available in PDF format via the link on this page) that explains the process of Approval and Use of Oil Treatment Products in the UK.
A list of approved products that have passed the requisite tests is available on this page.
Note: In order to improve our performance we have created a customer satisfaction questionnaire relating to our work on the Oil Spill Treatment Products Approval Scheme. We would be grateful for any comments that you wish to make.