ABSTRACT The use of dispersants as a response strategy to treat oil spills has been gaining an increasing level of acceptance from worldwide authorities. Their use as a primary strategy especially in large oil spill incidents has been effective a number of times when used in a timely and appropriate manner. But while effectiveness in removing oil from the water surface is proven, this is also its most noted disadvantage – the acute toxicity of its active agents and the dispersed oil on the marine environment and its inhabitants. This is why the use of dispersants is controlled in almost every country. Control comes in the form of dispersants use protocols and sometimes preapproval from the authorities through an accreditation and approval process – essentially testing for effectiveness and toxicity – before it is allowed to be listed in the national inventory and used in any waters of a particular country. And this is where the issues lie. A number of countries in Asia are beginning to ‘nationalise’ their...