Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

MERIDIAN is a port-call operating platform for yacht and ship agency work. It is available at meridian.hawaiiyachtagentservices.com. It is operated by Hawaii Yacht Agent Nautical Services (“HYANS”, “we”, “us”, “our”), based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

• Operator: Hawaii Yacht Agent Nautical Services
• Registered business name and entity type: [To be completed]
• Mailing address: [To be completed]
• Privacy contact: [To be completed]

This policy explains what information MERIDIAN collects, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. It covers the MERIDIAN web app, its installable (offline-capable) version, and any public share links it creates. It does not cover the HYANS marketing website, except for the enquiry records described in Section 3.7. The HYANS website has its own notice: HYANS website privacy notice.

2. Who MERIDIAN is for, and our role

MERIDIAN is a business tool. It is used by organizations (our “customers”), such as yacht and ship agencies, vessel management companies, vessel owners’ offices, and their vendors and sub-agents. People use MERIDIAN as part of their work. Paid seats are not yet offered.

There are two kinds of personal information in MERIDIAN:

1. Information about users. This is information about the people who sign in, such as names, email addresses and sign-in records. HYANS decides how this information is used.
2. Information customers put into MERIDIAN about other people. This includes crew, captains and guests on a vessel, vendor contacts, and others named in port-call files. Customers and HYANS’s own agency staff enter this information to run port calls.

Our role for customer-entered information (whether HYANS acts as the customer’s service provider or processor, as an independent business (controller) in its role as port agent, or both, depending on the customer): [To be completed]

If you are a crew member, captain, guest or other person whose details were entered by a customer, you may also want to contact that customer (for example your vessel’s management company or agent) about your information.

3. Information we collect

3.1 Account and profile information

• Name, work email address, job title, organization and role.
• Your Google account identifier, when you sign in with Google.
• Your account status (for example pending approval, active or disabled) and any extra permissions an administrator grants or removes.

New users do not get access automatically, unless their address has been pre-authorized in MERIDIAN’s configuration. Otherwise, when someone signs in for the first time, their account is held as “pending” until an authorized administrator approves it and assigns an organization and role.

3.2 Sign-in and security records

Sign-in attempts, sign-outs and switch-user sessions are recorded with:

• the date and time, your email address, name, organization and role;
• the sign-in method (for example Google) and whether it succeeded or why it failed; and
• your IP address and browser “user agent” string (the browser and device type your browser reports).

We also keep an audit log of important actions in MERIDIAN (who did what, and when, and in some cases why). The audit log and the sign-in log are kept as logs; the Service provides no way to edit or delete them; retention [To be completed]. Access to the sign-in log is limited to platform administrators.

Authorized HYANS administrators can view MERIDIAN as another user (sometimes called “switch user”) to provide support or check access. These sessions are recorded in the sign-in log. Whether customers are told when this is used on their accounts: [To be completed]

3.3 Vessel and port-call information

To run port calls, MERIDIAN stores business records such as:

• vessel details (for example name, type, length, beam, draft, tonnage, flag, IMO number, MMSI, call sign, year built, builder);
• port-call records: arrival and departure times, berth or anchorage, itinerary, tasks, service requests, quotes, purchase and provisioning orders, statements of facts, shipments and packages, filings and supporting evidence;
• harbor and berth records, including berth moves and use of port resources;
• maintenance and work logs, time and mileage entries, expenses and receipts;
• billing records: invoices, disbursement accounts, billing contact email, billing entity name, tax ID, purchase-order number, payment terms and currency; and
• messages and notes connected to a port call.

MERIDIAN also shows public vessel movement information (for example harbor schedules and publicly broadcast vessel particulars) for Hawaii harbors.

3.4 Crew, captain and guest information (sensitive)

Arrival filings with government authorities need identity details for people on board. When a customer or HYANS staff enter them, MERIDIAN may store:

• full name, given and family name, date of birth, place of birth and nationality;
• passport or other travel-document type, number, country, issue and expiry dates;
• US visa type and dates, and I-94 number;
• position on board, embark and disembark ports, travel details (for example flight);
• height and weight, where a form requires it; and
• health information, such as an ailment noted for a crew or guest record.

How we protect this information. Date of birth, document number, document country, I-94 number and health notes are encrypted when they are saved, with a separate key held in Google Cloud Secret Manager. Whether every record saved before encryption was introduced has since been encrypted: [To be completed]. In production, MERIDIAN refuses to save these fields if that key is missing, rather than saving them unencrypted. These fields, and passport, visa and place-of-birth details, are hidden unless the user’s role has a specific permission. When someone with that permission opens a port call’s crew and guest list, MERIDIAN records an audit entry naming the port call and the fields shown (not the values).

These details are never included in the limited view that is shared with vendors and sub-agents on a port call (see Section 6.2).

3.5 Files, photos, signatures, voice notes and location

• Uploads. You can upload documents, photos, PDFs and other files (up to 12 MB per file). Files are stored in our Google Cloud Storage bucket and served only to signed-in users allowed to see them, or through short-lived links (up to 15 minutes). A vessel-file spreadsheet imported to set up a port call can be up to 20 MiB.
• Receipts. For expense receipts, MERIDIAN stores a “perceptual hash” (a short fingerprint of the image) to spot duplicate receipts.
• Field records and signatures. Field records (for example delivery receipts and vendor job sign-offs) can include a signer’s name and signature image, the time captured, a device label and, where provided, location coordinates (latitude and longitude with accuracy). Field records are kept as logs; the Service provides no way to edit or delete them; retention [To be completed].
• Voice notes. Voice notes you upload are transcribed on our own servers using a speech-recognition model that runs inside MERIDIAN. Audio is not sent to a third-party transcription service.
• Delivery label scanning. Text recognition of shipping labels runs on your own device in the browser. Images are not sent to a third-party service for this.

3.6 Notification and contact preferences

• Email notifications go to your sign-in address by default.
• If you choose to get SMS or WhatsApp messages, we store the phone number you give and the time you agreed. We do not send SMS or WhatsApp messages without that recorded agreement.
• If you turn on browser push notifications, we store your browser’s push subscription (an endpoint address and encryption keys supplied by your browser) and your browser’s user agent. You can turn push notifications off in the app.
• Contact details (name, role, email, phone) for people at customer and vendor organizations.

3.7 Public enquiries

If you send an enquiry through the HYANS website, MERIDIAN keeps a minimal recovery record so a lost email can be followed up: your name, email and phone, which form you used, the subject line of the notification, and delivery and response times. It does not keep the content of your message. This record is deleted automatically after 30 days.

3.8 Information stored on your device

MERIDIAN works offline at the dock, so it stores some information in your browser:

• your sign-in token and a few settings, in your browser’s local storage;
• a copy of your last-loaded workspace, cached responses and any changes waiting to upload, in your browser’s storage (IndexedDB and the service-worker cache); and
• map tiles, weather data and app files, so the app loads without signal.

When you sign out, MERIDIAN removes your sign-in token, your cached workspace copy and any changes still waiting to upload from that browser. Anyone with access to your unlocked device and browser may be able to see cached information, so please sign out on shared devices.

3.9 Cookies

MERIDIAN does not use advertising or analytics cookies, and it does not load third-party analytics or tracking scripts. MERIDIAN’s main sign-in uses a token stored in your browser, not a cookie. It uses two narrow cookies:

The third-party services in Section 6 (for example Google sign-in, Google Maps, or embedded videos and maps you choose to load) may set their own cookies under their own policies.

4. How we use information

We use information to:

• provide and run MERIDIAN, including port calls, filings, berth and harbor management, billing views and notifications;
• sign you in, approve new users, apply roles and permissions, and keep each organization’s data separate;
• prepare and submit arrival and clearance paperwork to government authorities when a customer engages HYANS to do so;
• send service emails (for example sign-in and invitation links, approval requests, alerts, receipts and notifications you have turned on);
• keep MERIDIAN safe: detect misuse, investigate security events, limit repeated sign-in attempts, and keep audit records;
• fix problems, support users and improve the service; and
• meet legal obligations and enforce our terms.

AI features. Some MERIDIAN features can write short text (for example summaries) using an AI model. Which AI features are switched on in production, which models they use and where those models run: [To be completed]

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for targeted advertising.

5. Legal bases (for visitors outside the US)

MERIDIAN is run from the United States for a US-based business. If you are in a country with privacy laws that require a legal basis (for example the EU or UK), we rely on: performing a contract with you or your organization; our legitimate interests in running a secure port-call platform; complying with legal obligations (for example arrival filings); and consent where we ask for it (for example SMS).

6. How we share information

6.1 Inside your organization

Users in your organization see information according to their role. MERIDIAN has many roles (for example agency staff, captain, crew, purser, accounts, owner, harbor and marina roles, and vendor or sub-agent roles). Every record belongs to one organization, and MERIDIAN checks that on each request.

6.2 With other organizations on a port call

A customer can share a specific port call with another organization, such as a vendor, sub-agent or broker. That organization sees a limited view: vessel name, type and length, arrival and departure times, berth or anchorage, the purpose of the call and its status. It does not see crew or guest lists, the account manager, the owner, or free-text notes. Shares can be revoked and end when the port call closes. By default, where a departure time is recorded, they also expire 14 days after departure. A different expiry can be set only through MERIDIAN’s API; the share screen in the app does not offer it. Some customers may also give another organization read access to their fleet records by agreement; MERIDIAN records these grants.

Users can also create public links to share a single public vessel movement from the harbor traffic view. Anyone with the link can open it. It shows only public information and can be revoked.

6.3 Service providers

We use the following providers to run MERIDIAN. They handle information for us under their own terms.

Which optional providers are currently switched on, and any other providers we use (for example email hosting, accounting software or professional advisers): [To be completed]

6.4 Public data and map services your browser contacts

To show maps, charts and weather, your browser loads data directly from public sources such as Open-Meteo, NOAA and the National Weather Service, PacIOOS, USGS, GEBCO, OpenSeaMap and AWS Open Data. Some views let you choose to load embedded content from MarineTraffic, YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) or Windy. These services receive your IP address and standard browser information when your browser contacts them, under their own privacy policies. MERIDIAN does not send them your account details.

6.5 Government authorities

Port-call work involves filings with authorities such as US Customs and Border Protection, the US Coast Guard and Hawaii state harbor and natural-resources agencies. When a customer engages HYANS for this work, we share the information those filings require.

6.6 Other sharing

We may also share information: to comply with law, a court order or a valid government request; to protect the rights, safety or property of HYANS, our users or others; with professional advisers under confidentiality; or as part of a merger, sale or reorganization of our business, subject to this policy. We will share information for any other purpose only with your consent or your organization’s instruction.

7. How long we keep information

How and when information that is no longer needed is deleted or made anonymous: [To be completed]

8. How we protect information

We use practical safeguards appropriate to a small business. These include:

• encrypted connections (HTTPS) for all traffic in production, with strict browser security headers;
• separate encryption of the most sensitive identity and health fields (Section 3.4);
• per-organization data separation checked on every request, and role-based permissions;
• a human approval step before any new user gets access, unless their address has been pre-authorized in MERIDIAN’s configuration;
• application secrets held in Google Cloud Secret Manager, not in our code;
• database credentials kept out of our code; and
• logs of sign-ins, sensitive-data views and important changes.

No system is perfectly safe, and we cannot promise that information will never be accessed without permission. If we learn of a security breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and others as required by law.

9. Your choices and rights

Everyone. You can ask us to:

• tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy;
• correct information that is wrong;
• delete information, where we are not required or permitted to keep it; and
• stop optional messages (you can turn off SMS, WhatsApp and push notifications in the app’s notification settings).

Some information is kept as logs, and the Service provides no way to delete it (for example audit and sign-in logs and field records); retention [To be completed]. It may also need to be kept for legal reasons or for filings already made. If we cannot meet a request, we will tell you why.

If your information was entered by a customer organization (for example your vessel’s management company), we may pass your request to that organization or ask you to contact it, depending on our role (see Section 2).

To make a request, email [To be completed]. We will need to confirm your identity. We aim to reply within [To be completed]. We will not treat you differently for making a request.

California residents. California law (the CCPA, as amended by the CPRA) gives certain rights to California residents, including the rights to know, delete, correct, and limit use of sensitive personal information, and to opt out of sale or sharing. It applies only to businesses that meet certain size or data thresholds. Whether these rights apply to MERIDIAN, and how to exercise them: [To be completed]

Hawaii and other states. Rights under the laws of Hawaii and other states: [To be completed]

10. Children

MERIDIAN is a business tool and is not meant for children. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 through accounts. A customer may enter a minor’s details as a guest on a vessel when an arrival filing requires it. How we handle minors’ details entered by customers: [To be completed]

11. Where information is stored

MERIDIAN’s application runs on Google Cloud in the United States (Cloud Run region us-west1). Locations of our file storage and database: [To be completed]. If you use MERIDIAN from outside the US, or if your details are entered by someone outside the US, your information will be transferred to and processed in the US.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. If we make a significant change, we will tell users in MERIDIAN or by email before it takes effect. The “Last updated” date shows when it last changed.

13. Contact us

Hawaii Yacht Agent Nautical Services
Registered business name and entity type: [To be completed]
Mailing address: [To be completed]
Privacy contact: [To be completed]