Privacy Policy

Last updated: 14 July 2026  |  Effective date: 14 July 2026

Seaman Books (seamanbooks.com) is operated by ATOMIQ MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES EST. ("Atomiq Group", "we", "us", "our"), an ISO 9001:2015-certified maritime consultancy headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We assist seafarers, offshore workers, crewing companies, and maritime institutes worldwide with Seaman Books (CDC/SIRB), STCW certifications, offshore training coordination, and related crew management services.

Because our work involves preparing and submitting official maritime documents on your behalf, we handle personal data that is more sensitive than most websites collect — including passport details, photographs, medical fitness certificates, and sea service records. This Privacy Policy explains, in plain language, what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with (including flag state administrations), how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to you if you are: a seafarer or offshore worker applying for or renewing a Seaman Book, STCW certificate, or offshore training course through us; a crewing manager or company submitting applications on behalf of crew members; a maritime institute partnering with us; a visitor to seamanbooks.com; or anyone who contacts us by phone, email, WhatsApp, social media, or our website forms.

If you submit personal data on behalf of another person (for example, a crewing manager submitting crew documents), you confirm that you have their authority to do so and have made this policy available to them.

2. Personal Data We Collect

2.1 Identity and Contact Data

• Full name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, and gender
• Passport number, issue/expiry dates, and passport copies
• Residential address, email address, phone/WhatsApp number
• Passport-size photographs and signature specimens

2.2 Maritime Career Data

• Existing Seaman Book / CDC / SIRB details and copies
• STCW certificates, Certificates of Competency (CoC), endorsements, and licences
• Sea service records: vessels served on, ranks held, sign-on/sign-off dates
• Offshore training records (e.g., BOSIET, HUET) and employer/crewing agency details

2.3 Special Category (Sensitive) Data

Certain flag state applications require us to process sensitive data, which we handle with additional safeguards and only where necessary for your application:

• Medical fitness certificates and seafarer medical examination results
• Biometric-format photographs required by flag administrations

2.4 Payment and Transaction Data

• Billing details, invoices, and records of services purchased
• Payment confirmations (card payments are processed by our payment providers; we do not store full card numbers)

2.5 Website and Technical Data

• IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, and referring pages
• Pages visited, time on site, and interactions, collected via cookies and Google Tag Manager / analytics tools (see Section 9)
• Information you submit through contact and application forms

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you complete our online forms, email or WhatsApp us your documents, call our office, or apply in person. We may also receive your data from your employer or crewing agency (with your authorisation), from maritime institutes we partner with, from flag state administrations verifying or issuing your documents, and automatically through cookies when you browse our website.

4. Why We Use Your Data and Our Legal Bases

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We share personal data only where necessary to deliver our services or meet legal obligations — never for sale or third-party advertising. Recipients include:

• Flag state administrations and their authorised registrars — including the maritime authorities of Panama, Palau, Bahamas, Belize, St. Kitts & Nevis, Liberia, and Honduras — for the issuance, renewal, and verification of your Seaman Book and endorsements
• Approved training centres and examination bodies — for STCW and offshore course enrolment and certification
• Your employer or crewing agency — where they instructed the application or you have authorised it
• Courier and delivery partners — to deliver physical documents to you securely
• Payment processors and banks — to complete transactions
• IT, hosting, and communication providers — who support our website, email, and case management systems under confidentiality obligations
• Government bodies, courts, or regulators — where disclosure is required by applicable law

6. International Data Transfers

Maritime documentation is inherently international. To process your application, your data will be transferred from the UAE to the relevant flag state authorities and partners in other countries. Wherever we transfer personal data, we do so under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) and, where applicable, GDPR transfer mechanisms such as contractual safeguards. We transfer only the data the receiving authority requires for your specific application, and we verify that recipients handle it for official documentation purposes only.

7. How Long We Keep Your Data

We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected:

• Application files and issued documents: for the validity period of your document plus a reasonable period to support renewals, verification requests, and re-issuance (typically up to 5 years after expiry, unless you ask us to delete earlier where the law allows)
• Financial records: as required by UAE tax and commercial law
• Marketing data: until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• Website analytics: per the retention settings of our analytics tools

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

8. How We Protect Your Data

We apply technical and organisational measures aligned with our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, including encrypted transmission (SSL/TLS) on our website, access controls limiting document access to authorised staff handling your case, secure storage of physical and digital documents, staff confidentiality obligations, and vetting of the service providers who process data on our behalf. No system is completely secure, so we also encourage you to send documents only through the official channels listed on our Contact page.

9. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies (including Google Tag Manager) to keep the site working properly, measure traffic, and understand which services visitors are interested in. You can manage or delete cookies in your browser settings, and where required by law we ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies. Blocking essential cookies may affect how the website functions. Embedded content from third parties (such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or WhatsApp click-to-chat) may set their own cookies governed by those platforms' privacy policies.

10. Your Privacy Rights

10.1 Rights for Everyone

Wherever you are located, you may contact us to: access a copy of the personal data we hold about you; correct inaccurate or outdated information; request deletion of data we no longer need; object to or restrict certain processing; withdraw consent (for example, for marketing); and receive your data in a portable format where technically feasible.

10.2 If You Are in the UAE (PDPL)

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, you have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability, and the right not to be subject to solely automated decisions with legal effect. You may also lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office.

10.3 If You Are in the EU/EEA or UK (GDPR / UK GDPR)

You have the rights listed above plus the right to lodge a complaint with your national supervisory authority or the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Where processing is based on consent, withdrawing it does not affect processing that took place before withdrawal.

10.4 If You Are a California Resident (CCPA/CPRA)

You have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used and shared, the right to delete and correct personal information, the right to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights. We do not sell or share your personal information as defined by the CCPA/CPRA.

10.5 How to Exercise Your Rights

Email dubai@seamanbooks.com with the subject line "Privacy Request". We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally within 30 days). Exercising your rights is free of charge.

11. Marketing Communications

We only send marketing messages — such as certificate renewal reminders or new service announcements — if you have opted in. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out of WhatsApp or SMS updates by replying "STOP" or contacting us. Service-related messages about an active application (status updates, document queries) are not marketing and will continue while we process your case.

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults pursuing maritime careers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18 except where a flag state's cadet or trainee programme lawfully permits it, in which case parental or guardian consent is required. If you believe a minor has provided us data without consent, contact us and we will delete it.

13. Third-Party Websites

Our website links to external sites, including flag state authorities, training partners, and social media platforms. This policy does not cover those sites — please review their own privacy policies before submitting data to them.

14. Changes to This Policy

We review this policy regularly and update it when our services, technology, or legal requirements change. The "Last updated" date at the top shows the current version. For significant changes, we will post a prominent notice on our website or contact you directly where required.

15. Contact Us

ATOMIQ MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES EST. (Seaman Books)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Email: dubai@seamanbooks.com
Phone / WhatsApp: +971 52 943 5973

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy request, you may escalate your concern to the UAE Data Office or, if applicable, your local data protection authority.