Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Blue Gulf Group L.L.C. ("we," "our," or "us") is deeply committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with the highest levels of transparency, security, and respect. This Privacy Policy comprehensively outlines how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you interact with our website, contact us, or utilize our shipbuilding and marine services, regardless of your geographical location or where you access our services from.

By accessing, browsing, or using our website and services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use our services. We conduct our data processing activities in compliance with all applicable data protection laws, including the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for individuals located in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK, and we endeavor to align with globally recognized data protection principles and best practices for all our users.

2. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services, understand your needs, and comply with legal obligations. This information can be broadly categorized as:

2.1. Information You Provide Directly

• Contact & Identification Data: Your full name, email address, phone number, and postal address.
• Professional Data: Company name, job title/position, and industry sector.
• Inquiry & Project Data: Detailed project inquiries, requirements, specifications, vessel type interests, budget indications, timelines, and any other information relevant to your shipbuilding or marine service needs.
• Communication Data: Content of your messages, emails, calls, service feedback, testimonials, or any questions you submit.

2.2. Information Collected Automatically

• Network & Device Identifiers: Your IP address, which may indicate your approximate geographic location (country and city).
• Browser & Operating System Information: Type and version of your web browser, device type, and operating system.
• Referral Information: The referring website (URL) that led you to our site, and any search terms used.
• Website Interaction Data: Pages viewed, session duration, navigation paths, clicks, scrolls, and interactions with on-page elements.
• Campaign Tracking Data: Information derived from UTM parameters or other marketing campaign identifiers.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To Respond to Inquiries & Provide Services: To effectively respond to your questions, provide accurate project quotations, prepare detailed proposals, and facilitate the delivery of our comprehensive shipbuilding and marine services.
• To Fulfill Contractual Obligations: To process and fulfill contractual agreements, manage service delivery, and administer our business relationship with you.
• For Communication & Marketing: To send you essential service updates, newsletters, and promotional offers about our new services, products, or industry insights. This is done only with your explicit opt-in consent for marketing communications, which you can withdraw at any time.
• For Website Operations & Security: To maintain the functionality, security, and stability of our website, diagnose technical issues, and ensure a safe online environment.
• For Analytics & Improvement: To analyze website usage patterns, understand user behavior, gather demographic insights, and continuously improve our website's functionality, content, and user experience.
• For Legal Compliance & Protection: To comply with applicable legal or regulatory obligations, respond to lawful governmental requests, enforce our Terms of Service and other policies, and to prevent, detect, or investigate fraud, misuse, or unauthorized access to our systems.
• For Internal Business Operations: For internal record-keeping, auditing, reporting, and general business administration.

We may combine data collected from different sources (e.g., information you provide with automatically collected usage data) to create a more comprehensive understanding of your needs and to provide a seamless and personalized user experience.

4. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We value your trust and are committed to protecting your personal data. We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties for their independent marketing purposes. We may share your information only under the following limited circumstances and with appropriate safeguards:

4.1. With Service Providers

• Hosting and Cloud Infrastructure Providers: For secure data storage and website hosting.
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Email Marketing Platforms: To manage customer interactions and send communications.
• Analytics Providers: To analyze website traffic and user behavior.
• Customer Support Platforms: To manage and respond to your inquiries.
• Professional Advisors: Such as legal, accounting, or auditing firms.

These vendors are strictly contractually bound to protect your data, maintain confidentiality, and are only authorized to use your personal information for the specific purposes we define and in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection laws.

4.2. For Legal Compliance and Protection

• Comply with a legal obligation, regulatory requirement, or valid governmental request.
• Enforce our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, or other agreements.
• Respond to lawful subpoenas, court orders, or legal processes.
• Prevent or investigate potential fraud, abuse, data breaches, or other illegal activities.
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of Blue Gulf Group, our users, employees, or the public, as permitted or required by law.

4.3. Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, asset sale, restructuring, financing, or other business transaction involving Blue Gulf Group, your personal data may be transferred to the new entity or successor in interest. We will ensure that any such transfer is subject to the same privacy protections outlined in this Privacy Policy.

4.4. With Affiliates

We may share your information with our affiliated companies and entities within the Blue Gulf Group corporate family for internal administrative purposes, consistent with this Privacy Policy.

4.5. With Partners (Only With Consent)

For specific collaborative projects, joint ventures, or when offering integrated services, we may share your data with vetted partners. Such sharing will only occur with your explicit consent, which will be obtained at the time of data collection or prior to the sharing.

5. Data Security

We implement and continuously maintain robust, industry-standard technical, administrative, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption: Utilizing SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit to secure communication between your browser and our servers.
• Secure Infrastructure: Storing your data on secure servers and utilizing firewalls and other network security technologies.
• Access Controls: Implementing strict role-based access controls to limit access to personal data only to authorized employees, contractors, and agents who have a legitimate business need.
• Regular Assessments: Conducting regular vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and security audits to identify and mitigate potential risks.
• Employee Training: Providing ongoing data privacy and security training to our employees to ensure adherence to best practices.
• Incident Response Plan: Maintaining a comprehensive data breach response plan to effectively address and mitigate any security incidents.

Despite these diligent efforts and robust measures, it's important to acknowledge that no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a data breach occurs, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

6. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your geographical location and the applicable data protection laws (e.g., UAE Data Protection Law, GDPR), you may have specific rights regarding your personal information. These rights typically include:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Correction (Rectification): Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to Deletion (Erasure / "Right to be Forgotten"): Request the permanent deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances (e.g., when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected).
• Right to Restriction of Processing: Limit our processing of your personal data under specific circumstances (e.g., if you contest the accuracy of the data).
• Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to Object to Processing: Object to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes or when processing is based on our legitimate interests (unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests).
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke your consent at any time for data processing activities that rely on your consent (e.g., for marketing or newsletter emails). Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: Lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe our processing of your personal data violates applicable law (e.g., the UAE Data Office or a competent authority in the EEA/UK).

To exercise these rights, please contact us at:
Email: info@bluegulfcat.ae

We may require identity verification before processing your request to ensure the security and privacy of your data. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The specific retention periods depend on the type of data and the context in which it was collected. Our general retention principles are:

When your personal data is no longer necessary for these purposes, we will securely delete or anonymize it in a manner that prevents its reconstruction or identification.

8. Children’s Privacy

Our services and website are not directed at or intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 years of age. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our records. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us promptly using the details in Section 1.

9. International Data Transfers

If you are accessing our website or services from outside the United Arab Emirates (e.g., from the European Economic Area, the UK, or other countries), please note:

• Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in the UAE or other jurisdictions where our service providers or affiliates are located.
• Data protection laws in these countries may differ from those in your country of residence.
• We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for such international transfers of personal data, consistent with applicable data protection laws. These safeguards may include:
• Transferring data to countries recognized by relevant authorities (e.g., the European Commission or the UAE Data Office) as providing an adequate level of data protection.
• Implementing standard contractual clauses (SCCs) approved by relevant regulatory bodies (e.g., for transfers of personal data from the EEA/UK to non-adequate countries).
• Obtaining your explicit consent for such transfers, where no other legal basis or safeguard is available.
• Utilizing encrypted storage and ensuring robust data processor agreements with our service providers.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites, applications, or embedded services that are not operated by Blue Gulf Group (e.g., social media platforms, industry portals, YouTube videos). These third-party services have their own independent privacy policies. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before interacting with them or providing any personal information, as we are not responsible for their content, data handling practices, or privacy safeguards.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data processing practices, legal requirements, or business operations.

• Minor updates will be posted on our website, and the "Last Updated" date at the top of the policy will be revised.
• Major changes that significantly affect your rights or the way we process your data will be communicated through a prominent notice on our website or, if you have provided one, via email.