Draft — subject to legal review
This text is a working draft and may change before final publication. If anything is unclear, please contact us.
Who is responsible for your personal data?
NIL OCEAN SHIPPING L.L.C is the controller of the personal data described in this notice, which means we decide why and how it is used.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Controller | NIL OCEAN SHIPPING L.L.C, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Trade licence | 1104515 (Dubai) |
| Privacy contact | info@niloceanshipping.com, subject “Privacy request” |
| Main law | UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL) |
| Regulator | UAE Data Office |
This notice covers our website, the customer portal, our quote and contact forms, the public tracking page, and our WhatsApp, email and phone channels. Most of our customers are businesses, so most of the data we handle is business contact data and shipment information.
What personal data do we collect?
We collect only what we need to answer you and coordinate your shipments: mainly contact details, company details and shipment information.
| Where it comes from | What we typically collect |
|---|---|
| Quote and contact forms | name, company, email, phone or WhatsApp number, country, cargo and route details, files you attach, your consent choices |
| Customer portal | account details (name, email, phone, preferred language), company details, sign-in and security records, documents you upload, messages and tickets, charge approvals or disputes, payment proofs |
| WhatsApp, email and phone | your number or address and the content of messages, call notes and attachments |
| Shipment documents | names, addresses and contact details of shippers, consignees, notify parties and end users; signatory details and identity documents only where a customs authority, carrier or bank requires them |
| Public tracking page | the case reference and access code you enter |
| Technical data | your IP address, converted into a one-way code (hash) to limit abuse of our forms; browser and device type; analytics data only if you allow it |
We may also receive data about you from your colleagues, suppliers or customers when they name you in a booking, and from carriers, agents and authorities while your cargo moves. We do not ask for sensitive personal data such as health or religious information; please do not send it to us.
Why do we use your personal data, and on what legal basis?
We use personal data to provide the services you ask for, to meet our legal duties and, only if you agree, to send you news.
| Purpose | Legal basis under the PDPL (to be confirmed by counsel) |
|---|---|
| Answering enquiries and preparing quotes | steps you ask for before a contract; your consent on our forms |
| Opening and running your case file: bookings, documents, customs coordination, delivery, costs | performance of the contract with you or your company |
| Service messages about your shipment by portal, email or WhatsApp | performance of the contract |
| Sanctions, export-control and fraud screening; keeping customs, tax and commercial records | compliance with UAE law and applicable UN measures |
| Protecting our systems, preventing misuse and investigating incidents | legal obligations and the security of our services |
| Newsletters and marketing messages | your separate consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Optional website analytics | your consent through the cookie settings |
We do not take decisions that significantly affect you based only on automated processing: a member of our team reviews every possible sanctions-screening match.
Who do we share your personal data with?
We share personal data only with those who need it to move, clear and document your cargo, and with the providers that run our systems.
- carriers, shipping lines, NVOCCs, airlines and trucking companies;
- customs authorities and licensed customs brokers at origin, in transit and at destination;
- ports, terminals, warehouses, inspection and conformity-assessment bodies (for example, Certificate of Conformity providers);
- our partner agents at origin and destination;
- insurers, surveyors and loss adjusters, when you ask us to arrange cover or handle a claim;
- banks and payment providers, for payments and refunds;
- technology providers that host our website, portal, database, email and messaging;
- authorities, courts and regulators, when the law requires it.
Each recipient receives only what it needs for its part of the shipment. We do not sell personal data and do not share it for other companies’ marketing.
Is your personal data transferred outside the UAE?
Yes. International shipping requires data to travel with the cargo, and our systems are hosted outside the UAE.
- Shipment data goes to carriers, agents and authorities in the countries your cargo leaves, passes through or arrives in, such as China, Iraq, the GCC states and East Africa.
- Our systems: at the time of writing, the portal database, sign-in service and file storage are hosted in Singapore; the website is delivered through a global content-delivery network; service emails are sent by an email provider based outside the UAE; and WhatsApp messages are processed by Meta.
- We make these transfers under the cross-border rules of the PDPL and limit what technology providers receive; for example, notifications refer to your case reference rather than full shipment details wherever possible.
How long do we keep your personal data?
We keep personal data only as long as we need it for its purpose and for the periods the law requires.
| Data | Proposed retention (to be confirmed by counsel) |
|---|---|
| Enquiries and quote requests that do not lead to a shipment | up to 24 months after our last contact |
| Case files, shipment documents, invoices and payment records | as long as UAE commercial, tax and customs law requires, and at least five years after the case closes |
| Portal accounts | while your company is our customer; deactivated on request or after 24 months without activity |
| Security and audit logs | up to 24 months, longer if needed for an investigation |
| Consent records | as long as the consent is valid, plus the time needed to prove it |
When the period ends, we delete the data or make it anonymous.
How do we protect your personal data?
We use technical and organisational safeguards that match the sensitivity of the data.
- encrypted connections (HTTPS) for the website and the portal;
- access rules that let each customer see only its own company’s files;
- private document storage with download links that expire after a few minutes;
- staff accounts with role-based access and multi-factor authentication;
- an audit trail of changes to case files, documents and charges;
- identity documents stored as restricted files and never sent as email attachments.
No system is completely secure. If a personal data breach is likely to affect you, we will inform you and the competent authority as the law requires.
What are your rights?
Under the PDPL you can ask us what personal data we hold about you and how we use it, and you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of your personal data;
- correct data that is wrong or incomplete;
- restrict or stop processing, or object to it, where the law allows;
- delete data we no longer need, unless the law requires us to keep it;
- send your data to you in a structured, commonly used format;
- stop using your data on the basis of consent when you withdraw it, without affecting processing already carried out.
To make a request, email info@niloceanshipping.com or, if you have a portal account, open a support ticket. We may ask you to confirm your identity first, and we will reply within the time limits set by law. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the UAE Data Office.
How do WhatsApp and portal accounts work?
WhatsApp is a Meta service and processes messages under its own terms and privacy policy. We use it to coordinate shipments and may use it, or email, to send the one-time temporary password for a new portal account, which you must change the first time you sign in. After that we will never ask for your password. Our official numbers and email domains are listed on Verify Nil Ocean.
Our services are intended for businesses and are not directed at children.
How will we tell you about changes?
We publish every update on this page with a new “last updated” date and inform portal users of important changes. Cookies are explained in our Cookie Policy.
How can you contact us about privacy?
Email info@niloceanshipping.com with the subject “Privacy request”, or reach us through the channels on our contact page.
Questions about this page?
Contact us and we’ll answer in English, Arabic or Persian.