The Offshore Chemical Notification Scheme (OCNS) manages chemical use and discharge by the UK and Netherlands offshore petroleum industries. The scheme is regulated in the UK by the Department of Energy and Climate Change using scientific and environmental advice from CEFAS and Marine Scotland. In the Netherlands the scheme is regulated by the State Supervision of Mines with scientific and environmental advice from CEFAS and Netherlands government agencies.

Is the mechanism by which fifteen Governments of the western coasts and catchments of Europe, together with the European Community, cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. The new annex on biodiversity and ecosystems was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea. The fifteen Governments are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

OSPAR list of substances used and discharged offshore which “Pose Little or No Risk”.

Harmonized Offshore Chemical Notification Format. This is the documentation needed to register our products with the OCNS. The qualification form is 5-6 pages. The OCNS team will process the data from the HOCNF form, generate a template (certificate of use) and place your chemical product on the Definitive Ranked Lists of Registered Products. The period of certification is normally for three years. The template shows the product name, expiry date, and CHARM type. It will also show either a Hazard Quotient (HQ) or an OCNS letter grouping representing the environmental hazard of that particular product.