The basic experiment consisted of an organic phase (alkane, aromatics and diesel) that is deposited on the surface of an aqueous phase. Salt (sodium chloride, 0.6 M) was dissolved in water to produce a salinity comparable to that of seawater, following which an anionic surfactant (dodecanoic acid), a nonionic surfactant (Brij-35) or their mixture was dissolved in it at a total concentration of 100 ppm. These compositions closely parallel to those recommended for the simulation of bilge water. What we learned, at one level, is that the surfactants as well as molecular water diffuse into the organic phase from the aqueous phase below it. The surfactants then self-assemble in the organic phase to form inverted (water-in-oil) emulsion that then fuses with the interface thus forming an oil-in-water emulsion. These experimental results coupled with those obtained from the DPD based Molecular Dynamics using the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulation (LAMMPS) software, provided a more complete picture into the emulsification processes. Another insight gained from these studies is that the micelles and vesicles that are formed in the aqueous phase fuse intermittently with the interface explosively, following which various fragments are produced. This fragments then re-combine and lead to the formation of inverted water-in-oil emulsion in the organic phase. Subsequently, the inverted emulsions reach the interface from the organic phase and disintegrate again explosively following which the fragments cluster together and form oil-water emulsions.