Approval of products
We act as the licensing authority for oil spill treatment products under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. To get approval, products must pass a range of tests relating to efficacy and toxicity. If successful, they are then placed upon the list of approved products.
Different kinds of products are subject to different tests.
| Type of test | Dispersant (inshore and offshore) | Dispersant (offshore only) | Sorbent | Bioremediation product | Degreaser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy | |||||
| WSL LR 448 | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| Flask Test | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Microcosm Test | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Toxicity | |||||
| Rocky Shore Test | Y | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Sea Test | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Agitation toxicity test 1 | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Agitation toxicity test 2 | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Wildlife licence | N | N | N | Y (if contains bacteria) | N |
Applications
An applicant may request us to arrange for these tests to be undertaken, in which case testing charges are payable.
Alternatively, if an applicant submits data which follows the testing protocols from an accredited laboratory, only verification charges are payable.
Details of charges and the application process.
For further information please see our guide The approval and use of oil spill treatment products in the UK (PDF 204 KB).
In order to improve our performance we have created a Customer satisfaction questionnaire (PDF 272 KB) relating to our work on the oil spill treatment products approval scheme. We would be grateful for any comments that you wish to make.
Further information
List of approved products (PDF 92 KB) updated 13 May 2013
The approval and use of oil spill treatment products in the UK (PDF 204 KB)
Summary of tests (PDF 114 KB)
Protocol for efficacy testing - Report LR448 - revised February 2007 (PDF 157 KB)
Protocol for toxicity testing - report number 102 (PDF 1 MB)
Protocol for the testing of bioremediation products - scanned document (PDF 4.1 MB)
2007 Review outcome - letter (PDF 62 KB)
Help with documents
Some of these documents are in the portable document format (PDF) for downloading. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded from www.adobe.com/uk/