Marine Management Organisation
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Before you can complete a sediment analysis you must have a sediment sample plan in place. The plan must have approval from the MMO and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). Find out more about sample plans.
Overview
The?MMO?must ensure that sediment sample analysis data submitted in support of marine licence applications is consistent, and in a format that lets us compare separate applications.
You should follow the guidance below to ensure that we can process your marine licence application.
We also use the?Cefas action levels to decide how suitable it is to dispose of dredged sediments at sea.
Information for marine licence applicants
You must make sure that your sediment sampling and analysis is undertaken by a?MMO?validated laboratory. If a laboratory chooses to sub-contract analysis of samples, the sub-contracted laboratories must also meet the same requirements.
Laboratories validated by the MMO
Below are the laboratories validated by?MMO?for sediment analysis to inform marine licence applications and validated determinands. Determinands are the specific biological, chemical and physical properties of sediment.
- Yes - determinands validated
- No - determinands unvalidated
| Cefas | National Laboratory Service Environment Agency | SOCOTEC | RPS | Ocean Ecology Limited | Kenneth Pye Associates Limited | Fugro GB Marine Limited | Element Materials Technology | Benthic Solutions Limited | |
| Inorganics (inc. Trace Metals) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Organotins (Tributyltin and dibutylin) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Brominated Flame Retardants | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Total hydrocarbon content (THC) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Total Organic Carbon (TOC) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Particle Size Analysis (PSA) | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Submitting your data
You must use our results template to submit your sediment analysis data.
Your sediment analysis results should be a single report. The report must also comply with the requirements set out in your Sediment Sample Plan.
The laboratory who completed the sampling and analysis work for you must provide a chain of custody evidence in support of the analysis results. This is to prove that the samples have been handled and stored correctly by them.
Samples taken for chemical analysis, as part of your application, must be stored frozen in glass containers. These containers must be acid cleaned (10% volume-to-volume aqueous nitric acid), and solvent-rinsed (hexane or pentane) before they are used. The integrity of container closure must also be protected (solvent-rinsed aluminium foil) to avoid potential loss of determinands, contamination of samples, or both.
A temperature of 25C should not be exceeded at any stage of storage or transportation. Samples not analysed within 48 hours must be stored at 4C (short-term storage, under 1 week). Samples stored for more than 1 week and up to a maximum of 3 months must be kept frozen at -20C or below.
If your report is missing information, well write to you to request the extra information. This is likely to delay the application process.
Using existing data
You may use existing analytical data on the physical and chemical properties of sediments in support of your marine licence application. The information must be from a laboratory that has been validated by the?MMO?at the time of the analysis. The data must also have been collected within 3 to 5 calendar years from the date you submitted your marine licence application, and we accepted it.
If the data was collected outside the marine licensing process, you must provide full information on the original analysis of the samples. This should be submitted using laboratory capability statements and laboratory methodological statements. See the section Laboratory validation for more information on these statements.
We recommend you talk to us before you use existing data. We can help you establish suitability and relevance of the existing data. Well also support you to prove that data complies with storage, analysis, and quality control requirements. You can contact us by submitting an enquiry from your account on our online licensing system. Submitting an enquiry may incur a charge. Find about our fees.
Suitability of material
Marine licence application chemical analysis results are assessed against Cefas action levels and geological back