Changes announced to approval of UK oil spill treatment products
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has today announced changes to the approval scheme for UK oil spill treatments following a review earlier this year.
Products used beyond the seaward limit of territorial waters (12 nautical miles from the baseline) will no longer be required to pass the Rocky Shore Toxicity Test, which tests the relative toxicity of products against a keystone shoreline species, the Common Limpet, but will still be required to pass the existing efficacy and sea toxicity tests.
The use of these products will be restricted to an area offshore where all the UK regulators of oil spill treatment products, the MMO, Marine Scotland and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, are satisfied they would not impact on shorelines. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has a licensing role out to 12 nautical miles only but would be consulted by MMO or Marine Scotland where a licensing decision could impinge on the Northern Ireland zone.
This decision was taken in consultation with key partner organisations including the relevant statutory nature conservation bodies, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Welsh Government and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.
Twelve nautical miles offshore provides a large safety margin in terms of predicted likelihood of shoreline impact, and is easily identifiable on navigational charts.
The MMO's summary and response document (PDF 268 KB) is available online, and details the recommendations that came out of the consultation.
UK approval of offshore products, issued by MMO, will include the condition that each use must also be approved by the relevant licensing authority.
For details of how to apply for approval , please visit the MMO approval of products pages at www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/pollution/approval.htm. The MMO and other UK regulators will review this decision after one year.