Privacy Policy
Introduction
Blue Fin International Shipping Limited UK (“we”, “us”, “our”, “the Company”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website and services. Blue Fin International Shipping Limited UK is registered in England and Wales under company number [Insert Number] with our registered office at [Insert Address]. For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, we are the data controller. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at ukdesk@bluefinshipping.com or by telephone on 020 8164 7840.
This privacy policy applies to information we collect through our website, through business communications, when you purchase containers from us, and through any other interactions you have with our company. By using our services or providing us with your personal information, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this privacy policy. We may update this policy from time to time, and we will notify you of any material changes by posting the new privacy policy on our website and, where appropriate, by email. We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
Information We Collect
We collect and process personal information that you provide to us directly when you enquire about our services, request quotes, place orders, or otherwise communicate with us. As we provide services exclusively to UK-based businesses, the information we collect relates to your business rather than personal consumer data. The business information we collect includes your company name, company registration number, VAT registration number, business address, the names and contact details of individuals within your organization who interact with us (including names, email addresses, and telephone numbers), purchase history, delivery addresses and preferences, payment information, and any other information you choose to provide when communicating with us.
When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information about your device and how you interact with our website. This information may include your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring website addresses, pages viewed on our website, time spent on pages, information searched for on our website, access times and dates, and other diagnostic data. We collect this information using cookies and similar tracking technologies, as described in our separate Cookie Policy. Additionally, if you contact us by email, telephone, or through our website forms, we will keep records of that correspondence and the information contained within it.
How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect for various purposes related to providing our container sales and delivery services to your business. The primary purpose for which we process your data is to fulfill our contractual obligations to you, including processing and fulfilling your container orders, arranging delivery through our haulage and rail partners, processing payments, verifying your business credentials including company registration and VAT status as required by UK law, communicating with you about your orders and enquiries, and providing customer service and support.
We also process your information based on our legitimate business interests, which include maintaining and improving our website and services, analyzing how our website is used to improve user experience, conducting business analytics and market research, preventing fraud and ensuring the security of our systems, complying with legal obligations and responding to legal requests, and protecting our legal rights and interests. Where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis for processing, we have carefully considered and balanced our interests against your rights and freedoms, and we are satisfied that our processing is necessary and proportionate.
In some cases, we process your personal information to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject, including compliance with UK tax laws which require us to maintain business records for specified periods, compliance with company law requirements, responding to requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities, and compliance with court orders or other legal processes. We do not use your personal information for marketing purposes without your explicit consent, and we do not sell, rent, or otherwise disclose your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
Legal Basis for Processing
Under the UK GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis for processing your personal information. The legal bases we rely on include contract performance, where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract; legal obligation, where processing is necessary for compliance with legal obligations to which we are subject; legitimate interests, where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests; and consent, where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, which you may withdraw at any time.
For most of our business activities, we rely on contract performance and legal obligation as our primary legal bases. For example, when you place an order for containers, we need to process your business information to fulfill that contract, and we need to verify your company registration and VAT details to comply with UK business and tax regulations. For website analytics and improvements, we rely on our legitimate interest in operating an efficient business and improving our services, balanced against your privacy rights.
Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We share your personal information only in the limited circumstances described in this section, and we require all third parties to whom we disclose personal information to respect the security of your data and treat it in accordance with applicable data protection laws. We share your information with service providers who perform services on our behalf, including third-party haulage companies and rail freight providers who deliver containers to your specified location, payment processors who facilitate financial transactions, IT service providers who host and maintain our website and systems, and professional advisors including lawyers, accountants, and auditors who assist us in the operation of our business.
When we engage service providers, we enter into contracts with them that require them to process personal data only in accordance with our instructions, to implement appropriate security measures, and to comply with applicable data protection legislation. Your business information, particularly delivery details, will necessarily be shared with our delivery partners to enable them to transport containers to your location. We may also disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements, in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, to establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights, to protect the rights, property, or safety of our company, our customers, or others, or in connection with any sale, merger, acquisition, or reorganization of our business, subject to appropriate confidentiality undertakings.
We may transfer personal information to our parent company, Blue Fin International Shipping L.L.C, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for internal administrative purposes and business operations. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK or European Economic Area, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the relevant authorities, to protect your personal information in accordance with UK and EU data protection standards.
Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to comply with our legal obligations. For active business customers, we retain your information for the duration of our business relationship and for as long as necessary to provide you with our services. Following the end of a business relationship, we retain customer data for a period of six years from the date of the last transaction, in accordance with UK tax law requirements under the Finance Act and HM Revenue & Customs guidelines which mandate the retention of business records for tax purposes.
For website visitors who do not become customers, we retain automatically collected technical information for a maximum period of two years. For individuals who submit enquiries but do not proceed to place orders, we retain their contact information and enquiry details for two years to enable us to respond to any follow-up enquiries and for our legitimate business interests in understanding customer needs. Payment transaction data is retained in accordance with payment card industry standards and our financial record-keeping obligations. Following the applicable retention period, we will securely delete or anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer identify you. In some circumstances, we may anonymize your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case we may use such information without further notice to you.
Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you have several important rights regarding your personal information. You have the right to access personal data we hold about you and to receive a copy of that data, subject to certain exemptions. You can request information about the purposes of processing, the categories of personal data concerned, the recipients to whom your data has been or will be disclosed, and the expected retention period. You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you, and we will take reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
You have the right to request erasure of your personal data in certain circumstances, including where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing, where you object to processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or where the data has been unlawfully processed. However, this right is not absolute, and we may be required to retain certain information to comply with legal obligations, such as tax and accounting requirements which mandate retention for six years.
You have the right to request restriction of processing of your personal data in specific situations, including where you contest the accuracy of the data, where processing is unlawful but you do not want the data erased, where we no longer need the data but you require it for legal claims, or where you have objected to processing and verification of our legitimate grounds is pending. You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller without hindrance, where the processing is based on consent or contract and is carried out by automated means.
You have the right to object to processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis, and we will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or where processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims. Where we process your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 12 of this policy. We will respond to your request within one month of receipt, although we may extend this period by a further two months where necessary, taking into account the complexity and number of requests, in which case we will inform you of the extension and the reasons for delay. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the data or to exercise any of your other rights, as a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.
Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include using secure socket layer (SSL) encryption technology for data transmitted through our website, maintaining secure servers with firewall protection and access controls, restricting access to personal information to employees, contractors, and third parties who have a business need to know and who are subject to confidentiality obligations, implementing secure authentication procedures for accessing our systems, conducting regular security assessments and audits, and providing data protection training to our staff who handle personal information.
Despite our security measures, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our website or systems, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. If you believe your data has been compromised or if you become aware of any security breach, please contact us immediately.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to distinguish you from other users of our website and to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit our website, and they help us improve our website functionality, analyze website traffic and usage patterns, and remember your preferences. For detailed information about the cookies we use, the purposes for which we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences, please refer to our separate Cookie Policy, which can be found on our website. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy, although you can modify your cookie settings at any time through your browser settings or through the cookie management tool on our website.
Third-Party Links and Services
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services that are not operated or controlled by us. This privacy policy applies only to our website and services, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party websites or services. When you click on links to third-party websites, you will be subject to their privacy policies, and we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. The inclusion of any link does not imply our endorsement of the linked website or service. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services.
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.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update or modify this privacy policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes to this privacy policy, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and post the revised policy on our website. For material changes that significantly affect your rights or how we handle your personal information, we will provide more prominent notice, which may include notification by email to the email address specified in your account or through a notice on our website homepage. We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our services after any changes to this privacy policy constitutes your acceptance of such changes.
Children's Privacy
Our services are intended exclusively for businesses, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of eighteen. Our website and services are not directed at children, and we do not market to children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under eighteen without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information. If you believe we might have collected information from or about a child under eighteen, please contact us immediately.
Complaints and Regulatory Authority
If you have any concerns about our processing of your personal data or believe that we have not complied with data protection laws, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can address your concerns. We take complaints seriously and will investigate any concerns you may have. If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data in a way that is not lawful, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. You can contact the ICO by visiting their website at ico.org.uk, calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113, or writing to them at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. You have the right to lodge a complaint at any time, although we hope you will contact us first to give us an opportunity to resolve your concerns.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or our data protection practices, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights under UK GDPR, please contact us using the following details:
Data Protection 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 data protection matters, please provide sufficient information to enable us to identify you and respond to your request effectively. We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within one month, although occasionally it may take us longer if your request is particularly complex or if you have made a number of requests, in which case we will notify you and keep you updated.
This privacy policy complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable UK data protection legislation. This policy was prepared to ensure transparency in our data processing activities and to enable you to understand and exercise your rights under applicable data protection laws.
- Respond to your enquiry or request,
- Manage routine business correspondence and invoicing.
- Send you industry related news, or marketing information
- Internal record keeping
- We do not use your information for marketing or share it with third parties for advertising purposes.