Privacy Policy

Ship Crew Agency ("we", "us", "our", or the "Company") is a global ship crew manning agency providing maritime workforce solutions to shipowners, fleet managers, ship management companies, and offshore operators. We are committed to protecting the privacy of seafarers, clients, website visitors, and business contacts.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it. It applies to our website, our recruitment and crewing services, and all related communications. Please read it carefully.

For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and other applicable data protection laws, Ship Crew Agency acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Policy. Where we process seafarer data on behalf of a shipowner or ship manager under a manning agreement, we may act as a processor on their instructions; in those cases the relevant client's privacy notice may also apply.

If you have any questions about this Policy or how we handle your data, you can contact us using the details in the "Contact Us" section below.

Because crew manning is a document-intensive, compliance-driven activity, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identity and contact data — full name, nationality, date and place of birth, photographs, postal address, email address, and telephone or messaging numbers.
• Seafarer professional data — rank, seagoing service records, sea time, vessel types served, certificates of competency (COC), STCW certificates and endorsements, GMDSS and specialist training records, seaman's book / discharge book details, and references.
• Documentation and eligibility data — passport and seaman's book numbers, visa and travel documentation, flag-state endorsements, and right-to-work or eligibility information.
• Health data — medical fitness certificates (such as ENG1 or flag-state equivalents) and vaccination records required for deployment. This is "special category" data and is handled with additional safeguards.
• Client and business contact data — names, job titles, company details, and contact information of shipowner, operator, and ship-management representatives.
• Inquiry data — information you provide through our crew inquiry forms, including vessel type, service required, ranks required, and free-text messages.
• Technical and usage data — IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy).

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under the GDPR. Our purposes and corresponding legal bases include:

• Providing crewing and recruitment services — sourcing, screening, and deploying seafarers, and matching candidates to vessel requirements. Legal basis: performance of a contract, and our legitimate interests in operating a recruitment business.
• Verifying credentials and compliance — confirming STCW, MLC 2006, flag-state, and medical requirements. Legal basis: legal obligation, contractual necessity, and, for health data, reasons of substantial public interest and employment law obligations relating to maritime safety.
• Responding to inquiries — handling crew requests and business enquiries. Legal basis: legitimate interests and steps taken at your request prior to entering a contract.
• Communication and administration — managing deployment logistics, documentation, and ongoing assignments. Legal basis: contract performance and legitimate interests.
• Legal and regulatory compliance — meeting maritime, immigration, tax, and record-keeping obligations. Legal basis: legal obligation.
• Website operation and improvement — analytics and security. Legal basis: legitimate interests and, where required, consent.

Where we rely on consent (for example, certain marketing or non-essential cookies), you may withdraw that consent at any time.

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as necessary to deliver our services and meet our obligations, including with:

• Shipowners, ship managers, and operators to whom you are proposed or assigned as crew.
• Flag-state administrations, maritime authorities, and approved medical examiners for verification and endorsement.
• Travel, visa, and port agents involved in crew change and deployment logistics.
• Service providers and processors (such as IT hosting, communications, and database providers) acting under contract and only on our instructions.
• Authorities, regulators, or legal advisers where required by law, to establish or defend legal claims, or to protect safety.

Maritime crewing is global by nature. Your personal data may be transferred to, and processed in, countries outside your own, including outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, where vessels are flagged, crew join, or service providers operate.

Where we transfer personal data internationally, we put appropriate safeguards in place, such as transfers to countries with an adequacy decision, or the use of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and additional protection measures, to ensure your data remains protected to an equivalent standard.

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, including to provide our services, comply with maritime, legal, tax, and regulatory obligations, and resolve disputes.

Seafarer records are typically retained for the duration of the working relationship and for a defined period afterwards in line with statutory and industry requirements. When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised. Specific retention periods are available on request.

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you and obtain a copy.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of your data where there is no lawful reason for us to keep it.
• Object to, or request restriction of, certain processing.
• Request portability of data you provided to us, in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, such as your local data protection regulator.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These include access controls, encryption in transit, secure hosting, and staff confidentiality obligations. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we continually review and improve our safeguards.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The "Last updated" date above shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be communicated where appropriate.

For any privacy questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at info@shipcrewagency.com.