About OCNS
The Offshore Chemical Notification Scheme (OCNS) is administered by the Department of Trade and Industry using scientific and environmental advice from Cefas and the Fisheries Research Services (FRS) Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen.
The OCNS applies to all chemicals, which are used in the actual exploration, exploitation and associated offshore processing of petroleum on the UK Continental Shelf.
The OCNS therefore applies to those "operational" chemicals/products* which through their mode of use are expected in some proportion to be discharged e.g. rig washes, pipe dopes and hydraulic fluids used to control wellheads and blow-out preventers. As well as those chemicals used in the actual production of hydrocarbons, chemicals generated offshore (such as sodium hypochlorite) must also be notified. Default product templates for these types of chemicals are available on the downloads page.
*N.B. The word 'chemicals' when used subsequently refers to fully formulated products used offshore whether these are comprised of one or more distinct chemical substances.
The scheme does not apply to chemicals that might otherwise be used on a ship, helicopter or other offshore structure. This effectively exempts, for example, products used solely within domestic accommodation areas, additives to potable water systems, paints and other coatings, fuels, lubricants, fire-fighting foams, hydraulic fluids used in cranes and other machinery etc. If there is any doubt as to whether or not a chemical should be included in a Risk Assessment, then operators are advised to consult the DTI or Cefas.
The OCNS was originally introduced in 1979. In 1993, the UK Government introduced a revised scheme, which classified chemicals using test protocols approved by the Oslo and Paris Commissions (OSPAR). This was modified in detail, in early 1996, to meet the requirements of the OSPAR Harmonised Offshore Chemical Notification Format (HOCNF) which co-ordinates the testing requirements for oilfield chemicals throughout the NE Atlantic sector.
In June 2000, OSPAR introduced Decision 2000/2 on a Harmonised Mandatory Control System for the Use and Reduction of the Discharge of Offshore Chemicals. In the UK this is to be administered under the Offshore Chemical Regulations 2002 (OCR 2002) which came into force on 15th May2002.
At the heart of OSPAR Decision 2000/2 are two Recommendations.
Recommendation 2000/4 on a Harmonised Pre-Screening Scheme for Offshore Chemicals, which facilitates the substitution of chemicals with certain characteristics by less hazardous alternatives and
Recommendation 2000/5 which introduced some minor changes to the Harmonised Offshore Chemical Notification Format (HOCNF) and to its Guidelines
Decision 2000/2 and its supporting Recommendations entered into force on 16 January 2001. The Decision requires offshore chemicals to be ranked according to their calculated Hazard Quotients (HQ - ratio of Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC) to Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC). It also obliges authorities to use the CHARM "hazard assessment" module as the primary tool for ranking. In the UK this is carried out by a multidisciplinary Team at the Cefas Burnham Laboratory. You may wish to refer to the Cefas prepared Guidelines to filling in the HOCNF to suit the CHARM model. The CHARM model is available as a free Adobe Acrobat format file from the OGP website.
Inorganic chemicals and organic Chemicals with functions for which the CHARM model has no algorithms will continue to be ranked using the existing OCNS hazard groups. A complete description of the OCNS assessment process can be found in the Cefas guidelines to the non-CHARMable chemical assessment process.
The List of Notified Chemicals on the Cefas website has been replaced by a series of ranked lists. The lists use a banding system to rank organic chemicals of similar function according to PEC:PNEC 'Hazard Quotients' calculated using the CHARM model.
The minimum data set of actual values and the parameters used by Cefas to calculate them will be disclosed to chemical suppliers on 'templates'. The supplier may then pass these on to operators to enable the calculation of site-specific risk assessments (RQs) for any chemicals they may want to use. Some chemicals are generated/used 'in situ' on offshore installations, e.g. Sodium Hypochlorite, and don't fall under the remit of any one supplier. Templates for such chemicals will be available as Adobe Acrobat file downloads.
Once classified, a product will typically remain on the List of Notified Chemicals for 3 years after which it becomes due for re-certification. However, products being used for a field trial or those containing substances recommended for substitution may have a shorter validity. As the OSPAR HOCNF data set is used for both the outgoing OCNS and the new OCR assessment schemes, all chemicals currently notified to the OCNS have been carried over to the OCR and their re-certification dates will be unchanged. When products are due for re-certification, providing the formulation (and consequently the data requirements for that product) has not changed a shorter Recertification Format can be used in place of an HOCNF for re-certifications to the UK Regulatory Authorities.
The properties of substances on the OSPAR List of Substances/Preparations Used and Discharged Offshore, Which Pose Little Or No Risk to the Marine Environment (PLONOR) are sufficiently well known that the UK Regulatory Authorities do not require them to be tested. This list is reviewed annually and the notification requirements for these chemicals are given in the PLONOR document.
Should any users experience problems with the 'Guidelines' or 'List of Notified Chemicals' attachments, paper copies can be obtained from the DTI or Cefas.
Web links for OSPAR, DTI and FRS can be found on the OCNS Downloads page.
Please note the existing OCNS Groups will apply only to UK Notified Chemicals which are not suitable for the CHARM model.
