Cookie Policy
Introduction and Scope
This Cookie Policy explains how Blue Fin International Shipping Limited UK (“we”, “us”, “our”, “the Company”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website. This policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy, which provides comprehensive information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Cookie Policy and consent to our use of cookies as described herein, subject to the preferences you set through our cookie consent mechanism. This Cookie Policy applies to all visitors to our website, whether you are browsing for information, requesting quotes, or conducting business with us.
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and provide information to the website owners. Cookies allow websites to recognize your device and remember certain information about your visit, such as your preferred language, settings, or items in your shopping basket. Some cookies are essential for the operation of our website, while others help us improve your experience or allow us to track website performance. We use different types of cookies for different purposes, and this policy explains the categories of cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can control them.
Types of Cookies We Use
We use several categories of cookies on our website, each serving distinct purposes. Strictly necessary cookies are essential for the operation of our website and enable you to access secure areas, use key features, and navigate the site effectively. These cookies do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing purposes or remember where you have been on the internet. Examples of strictly necessary cookies include session cookies that keep you logged in as you move between pages, security cookies that authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of login credentials, and cookies that remember information you have entered into forms as you navigate between pages. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, such as submitting quote requests or accessing secure parts of our website, cannot be provided. Because strictly necessary cookies are essential for the website to function, they cannot be disabled through our cookie consent tool, although you can block them through your browser settings, which may cause some parts of our website to stop working properly.
Performance cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, including which pages are visited most often, whether visitors receive error messages from web pages, and how much time visitors spend on each page. These cookies do not collect information that identifies individual visitors, and all information collected is aggregated and therefore anonymous. We use performance cookies to analyze website traffic, identify technical issues, understand which pages and features are most popular, test different designs and features to improve user experience, and monitor the overall performance of our website. The information collected through performance cookies helps us improve the way our website works and enhance the user experience for all visitors. These cookies can be disabled through our cookie consent tool without affecting the core functionality of our website.
Functional cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your user name, language preference, or the region you are in, and provide enhanced, more personalized features. These cookies may also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts, and other parts of web pages that you can customize. They may also be used to provide services you have requested, such as watching a video or commenting on a blog post. The information these cookies collect may be anonymized, and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites. Functional cookies enhance your experience by remembering your preferences and settings, preventing you from having to re-enter information you have previously provided, and personalizing content based on your previous interactions with our website. You can control whether functional cookies are placed on your device through our cookie consent tool, although disabling them may mean that certain features and services are not available to you.
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. We use analytics services, including Google Analytics, to gather statistical information about our website traffic and usage patterns. Analytics cookies track information such as the number of visitors to our website, where visitors have come from, which pages they visit, how long they spend on each page, which links they click, what search terms they used to find our website, and whether they have visited our website before. This information helps us understand which areas of our website are most popular, which pages might need improvement, and how we can optimize the user experience. All data collected through analytics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it cannot be used to identify individual visitors. You can opt out of analytics cookies through our cookie consent tool, and you can also install browser add-ons such as the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent your data from being collected by Google Analytics.
Third-Party Cookies
In addition to our own cookies, we may use various third-party cookies on our website to enhance functionality and analyze website performance. Third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one you are visiting, and they are typically used to track users across different websites and build up a profile of browsing behavior. We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, which uses cookies to help us analyze how users interact with our website. Google Analytics cookies collect information about your use of our website, including your IP address, which is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States and other countries. Google uses this information on our behalf to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports on website activity, and provide other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. For more information about how Google uses data when you use our website, please visit “How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps” at policies.google.com/privacy.
Our website may also contain embedded content from third-party services such as videos from YouTube or Vimeo, maps from Google Maps, or social media plugins from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. When you interact with this embedded content, these third parties may set their own cookies on your device. We do not control these third-party cookies, and you should check the relevant third party’s website for more information about how they use cookies and how you can manage your cookie preferences for their services. Third-party cookies are subject to the respective third parties’ privacy policies and not this Cookie Policy, and we encourage you to read the privacy policies and cookie policies of any third-party services you interact with through our website.
Cookie Duration and Persistence
The cookies we use have different lifespans, and they can be categorized as either session cookies or persistent cookies based on how long they remain on your device. Session cookies are temporary cookies that remain on your device only while you are actively browsing our website and are automatically deleted when you close your web browser. These cookies are essential for navigating between pages on our website, maintaining your session state, and ensuring that information you enter into forms is retained as you move between pages. Session cookies do not collect information from your device and do not gather information that could be used to identify you once you leave our website.
Persistent cookies remain on your device for a specified period after you close your browser or until you manually delete them. These cookies remember your preferences and settings for future visits, allowing our website to recognize your device when you return and provide a more personalized experience. The duration for which persistent cookies remain on your device varies depending on their purpose. Performance and analytics cookies typically remain on your device for up to two years from your last visit to our website, allowing us to track long-term trends and understand how users interact with our website over time. Functional cookies, which remember your preferences and settings, typically remain on your device for up to one year, after which they expire and are deleted. You can delete persistent cookies at any time through your browser settings, and you can set your browser to reject all persistent cookies or to notify you when a persistent cookie is being sent.
Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several options for managing and controlling cookies on your device, and you can choose to accept or reject cookies based on your preferences. When you first visit our website, we will display a cookie consent banner that allows you to choose which categories of cookies you consent to. You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences by selecting which categories of cookies you wish to allow. Your cookie preferences are stored in a cookie on your device, so if you delete your cookies or visit our website from a different device or browser, you will need to set your preferences again.
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by accessing the cookie settings tool, which can be found in the footer of our website or through a link in our cookie consent banner. The cookie settings tool allows you to review the different categories of cookies we use, understand their purposes, and enable or disable each category according to your preferences. Please note that strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled through our cookie settings tool because they are essential for the operation of our website, although you can block them through your browser settings.
In addition to our cookie settings tool, you can manage cookies through your web browser settings. All modern web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings, and you can typically find these settings in the “options,” “preferences,” or “settings” menu of your browser. Your browser settings allow you to refuse all cookies, accept only certain cookies, receive notification when a cookie is being sent, and delete cookies that have already been set. The method for managing cookies varies depending on which browser you use, and detailed information about cookie management is available through your browser’s help function or support website.
Browser Cookie Settings:
Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
Mozilla Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data
Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data
Internet Explorer: Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Advanced
Opera: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies
If you choose to disable or reject cookies, please note that some parts of our website may become inaccessible or may not function properly. Strictly necessary cookies are essential for our website to work, and disabling them will prevent you from using certain features, such as submitting quote requests or accessing secure areas of our website. Disabling functional cookies means that our website will not remember your preferences or settings, and you may need to re-enter information each time you visit. Disabling performance and analytics cookies will not affect your ability to use our website, but it will prevent us from gathering information that helps us improve our website and user experience.
Do Not Track Signals
Some web browsers include a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Currently, there is no industry-wide standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals, and different browsers implement DNT differently. Our website does not currently respond to DNT signals from browsers, and we continue to collect information about your browsing activity on our website in accordance with this Cookie Policy. You can, however, disable cookies and tracking technologies through the methods described in Section 5 of this policy, which will prevent or limit the collection of information about your browsing activity on our website.
Consent and Legal Basis
Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), which govern the use of cookies and similar technologies in the UK, we must obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent because they are essential for the operation of our website and are therefore exempt from the consent requirement under PECR. For all other categories of cookies, including performance, functional, and analytics cookies, we obtain your explicit consent through our cookie consent mechanism before these cookies are placed on your device.
When you visit our website for the first time, we display a cookie consent banner that explains how we use cookies and provides you with options to manage your cookie preferences. You can consent to all cookies by clicking “Accept All,” reject non-essential cookies by clicking “Reject Non-Essential,” or customize your preferences by selecting specific cookie categories. By providing your consent, you are agreeing to allow us to place cookies on your device in accordance with this Cookie Policy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by changing your cookie preferences through the cookie settings tool on our website, and withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdrew your consent.
Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in our practices, or changes in applicable laws and regulations. When we make changes to this Cookie Policy, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and post the revised policy on our website. For significant changes that materially affect how we use cookies or your rights and choices regarding cookies, we may provide additional notice through a prominent notification on our website homepage or through our cookie consent banner when you next visit our website. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and how you can protect your privacy. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this Cookie Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
International Data Transfers
While we primarily operate within the United Kingdom and store data on servers located in the UK or European Economic Area, there may be circumstances where your personal information is transferred to or processed in countries outside the UK or EEA. This may occur where our service providers or our parent company, Blue Fin International Shipping L.L.C in Dubai, require access to data for business operations. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK or EEA to countries that do not provide an adequate level of data protection, we implement appropriate safeguards to protect your personal information, including the use of standard contractual clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office or the European Commission, or relying on adequacy decisions where applicable.
Additional Information About Cookies
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in our practices, or changes in applicable laws and regulations. When we make changes to this Cookie Policy, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and post the revised policy on our website. For significant changes that materially affect how we use cookies or your rights and choices regarding cookies, we may provide additional notice through a prominent notification on our website homepage or through our cookie consent banner when you next visit our website. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and how you can protect your privacy. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this Cookie Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us using the following details. We are committed to addressing any concerns you may have about cookies and privacy, and we aim to respond to all inquiries promptly and thoroughly:
Cookie Policy Contact: Blue Fin International Shipping Limited UK [6 Sutton Plaza Spaces, Sutton Court Road, SM1 4FS London, England] Email: ukdesk@bluefinshipping.com Telephone: 020 8164 7840 Business Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
When contacting us regarding cookies, please provide as much detail as possible about your inquiry or concern, including any specific cookies you have questions about, the issues you are experiencing, or the preferences you wish to set. Our team will review your inquiry and provide you with the information or assistance you need to manage your cookie preferences effectively.
This Cookie Policy complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). This policy has been prepared to ensure transparency regarding our use of cookies and to enable you to make informed choices about your cookie preferences.