Global Maritime Certification Ltd ("GMC", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of seafarers, clients and other individuals who contact us in connection with our maritime documentation and certification services.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we may collect, how we use it, the circumstances in which we may share it, how we protect it, and the rights available to you under applicable data protection law.
1. Who we are
| Data controller | Global Maritime Certification Ltd |
|---|---|
| Company number | 17461578 |
| Incorporated | 16 September 2026, England & Wales |
| Registered office | 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ |
| Contact email | info@globalmaritimecertification.com |
Global Maritime Certification Ltd provides maritime documentation and certification support services to clients internationally, including seafarers and maritime professionals based in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Where applicable, we process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).
2. What personal data we collect
We collect personal data that you provide to us when requesting or using our services, communicating with us, or submitting documents for processing.
Depending on the service requested, this may include:
- Identification and contact information: full name, email address, telephone or WhatsApp number, nationality, date of birth, and other information contained in identification documents.
- Professional and maritime information: seafarer identity documents, passports, certificates of competency, certificates of endorsement, training certificates, medical certificates where required for a specific service, and other maritime documentation necessary to process your request.
- Employment and vessel-related information: rank, position, vessel information, employer or crewing-company details, where necessary for the requested service.
- Communications: the content of communications exchanged with us by email, WhatsApp, our website contact form, or other communication channels in connection with your request.
- Billing and payment information: information necessary to issue invoices and reconcile payments. We do not request or store credit or debit card details. Payments are generally made by bank transfer.
We only request information that is reasonably necessary for the service you have asked us to provide.
3. How we collect your personal data
You may contact us through the communication channels made available on our website, including the WhatsApp contact option, our website contact form, and email.
Our website contact form allows you to submit your name, email address, the service you are enquiring about, the flag state concerned, and a message. Submissions made through this form are processed by Formspree, our third-party form-processing provider (see Section 7).
If you decide to proceed with a service, we may ask you to provide the documents and information required to process your application or certification, normally by email.
For information about cookies and similar technologies, please see our Cookie Policy.
4. How we use your personal data
We may use your personal data for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Providing the maritime documentation, certification or endorsement service you request | Performance of a contract or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract |
| Reviewing your documents and determining the requirements applicable to your request | Performance of a contract / legitimate interests |
| Submitting or communicating information and documents to the relevant maritime or flag administration on your behalf | Performance of a contract and/or your instructions |
| Communicating with you about your application, documents, fees and the status of your request | Performance of a contract / legitimate interests |
| Preparing invoices and recording payments | Performance of a contract / legal obligation / legitimate interests |
| Maintaining appropriate business and accounting records | Legal obligation / legitimate interests |
| Responding to enquiries and providing information about our services | Legitimate interests and, where applicable, steps taken at your request |
| Complying with applicable legal, regulatory or administrative requirements | Legal obligation |
Where we rely on your consent as the legal basis for processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
5. Maritime documents and sensitive information
Some documents submitted for maritime certification may contain personal information that is particularly sensitive in nature, including identification information, photographs, signatures, dates of birth, nationality and, depending on the service requested, medical or other information.
We process such information only where it is necessary for the service requested, where permitted or required by applicable law, or where another appropriate legal basis applies.
We do not use documents submitted for certification for advertising, profiling or unrelated purposes.
6. How and where your documents are stored
Documents and information provided to GMC may be stored and processed using business email, cloud-storage and other information technology systems used by GMC to administer client cases.
GMC may use Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft 365 or other appropriate business technology services for the secure storage and management of client documents.
Access to client documents is restricted to authorised GMC personnel who require access for the performance of their duties.
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or disclosure.
Documents may temporarily remain in email accounts, backups or other systems used for legitimate business, security or legal-compliance purposes even after a working copy has been deleted from an active case folder.
7. Who we may share your personal data with
We may share personal data where necessary to provide the service you have requested, including with:
- Relevant maritime or flag administrations, where documents or information are required to obtain an endorsement, certification, verification or other maritime service requested by you.
- Technology and service providers, such as providers of business email, cloud storage, hosting, form-processing and other IT services used to operate GMC's business.
- Professional advisers or competent authorities, where disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
GMC may use services provided by IONOS for business email and related services, Microsoft for cloud-storage and Microsoft 365 services, and Formspree for processing enquiries submitted through our website contact form.
We do not sell or rent personal data to third parties.
We do not use personal data submitted for maritime services for unrelated advertising or profiling.
8. International transfers
Because GMC operates internationally and may communicate with maritime administrations and service providers located in different countries, your personal data may sometimes be transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area.
Where an international transfer is subject to applicable data protection legislation, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is made in accordance with the applicable legal requirements and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.
Depending on the circumstances, these safeguards may include an adequacy decision, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism.
Our technology providers may process or store data in different jurisdictions in accordance with their applicable data protection arrangements and contractual safeguards.
9. Your data protection rights
Depending on the applicable law and circumstances, you may have the right to:
- request access to the personal data we hold about you;
- request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
- request deletion of your personal data;
- request restriction of processing;
- object to certain processing;
- request portability of personal data where applicable; and
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
To exercise your rights or ask questions about how we process your personal data, please contact us at info@globalmaritimecertification.com.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority. For individuals in the United Kingdom, this is generally the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). For individuals in the European Union, you may contact the data protection supervisory authority in the EU Member State concerned, particularly where you normally reside, work, or where an alleged infringement occurred.
10. Children
Our services are intended for professional seafarers and maritime professionals and are not directed at children.
We do not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children through our website or services.
11. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction.
However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should therefore avoid sending information that is not necessary for the service you have requested.
If we become aware of a personal data breach that requires notification under applicable data protection law, we will take the steps required by law.
12. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, business practices or applicable legal requirements.
The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this Privacy Policy was most recently revised.