1. Who We Are

Green Boat Engines is the data controller responsible for the personal data collected through this website (greenboatengines.nl) and related services.

We specialise in the sale, service, repair, and shipping of new and reconditioned marine engines, generators, and parts across the European Union. Because our business involves cross-border shipping, warranty administration, and technical service, we collect and process certain categories of personal data necessary to fulfil contracts, comply with legal obligations, and provide customer support.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact our Data Protection contact using the details in Section 16.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect personal data that you provide directly to us, data we collect automatically when you use our website, and data we receive from third parties (such as payment processors and shipping partners). The categories of personal data we may collect include:

2.1 Identity and Contact Data

• Full name (first name and surname)
• Company name (if applicable, for B2B orders and fleet contracts)
• Email address (primary and secondary, if provided)
• Phone number (including country code for international customers)
• Billing address (street, city, postal code, country)
• Shipping/delivery address (if different from billing address, including marina or boatyard addresses)

2.2 Order and Transaction Data

• Order history — products purchased, dates, quantities, prices, and order numbers
• Payment confirmation data — transaction IDs, payment method type (card, bank transfer, iDEAL, PayPal), and payment status. We do not store full credit or debit card numbers on our servers.
• Invoice and VAT records — required for Dutch tax law compliance
• Customer account credentials — username and encrypted password (if you create an account)

2.3 Tax and Customs Data (for Cross-Border Orders)

Because we ship engines, parts, and equipment across the European Union and beyond, we may collect additional data required for customs clearance and tax compliance:

• VAT identification number (BTW-nummer) — for business customers within the EU
• EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) — required for delivery to customers outside the Netherlands, particularly for shipments to non-EU countries or customs-controlled territories
• Country of residence / registered business — for determining applicable VAT rate and customs treatment

This data is collected solely for the purpose of fulfilling your order and complying with EU customs and tax regulations. It is not used for marketing or shared with unauthorised parties.

2.4 Service, Repair, and Warranty Data

• Engine details — make, model, serial number, horsepower, year of manufacture, and hour meter reading
• Service history — dates of service, work performed, parts fitted, technician notes, and test results
• Fault descriptions and diagnostic reports — including compression readings, fault codes, and photographs taken during service
• Warranty claims — claim dates, descriptions, supporting documentation, and resolution records
• Appointment and scheduling data — preferred dates, service type, and technician assignments

2.5 Communication Data

• Email correspondence — including enquiries, quotes, complaints, and support tickets
• Contact form submissions — including the subject, message content, and any attachments
• Phone call records — date, time, and notes taken by our customer service team (calls are not recorded without explicit consent)
• Live chat transcripts — if you use our website chat function

2.6 Marketing and Preference Data

• Marketing opt-in status — whether you have consented to receive newsletters, special offers, and product updates
• Communication preferences — preferred language, preferred channel (email, SMS, phone)
• Interest categories — engine type preferences (outboard, inboard, generator, electric) based on your browsing and purchase history, used only where you have opted in to personalised marketing

2.7 Technical and Usage Data (Collected Automatically)

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical data through cookies, server logs, and analytics tools:

• IP address (anonymised where possible for analytics)
• Browser type and version (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
• Device type and operating system (desktop, mobile, tablet; Windows, macOS, iOS, Android)
• Referring website (the site you came from before visiting ours)
• Pages visited, time spent, and click paths — used to improve website usability and product offerings
• Shopping cart contents and abandoned cart data — to help you complete your purchase
• Cookie identifiers and session IDs — see Section 8 for full details

2.8 Data We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect or process:

• Special categories of personal data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic or biometric data, health data, or data concerning sex life or sexual orientation), unless explicitly required by law for a specific and limited purpose.
• Full payment card numbers or CVV codes — these are handled exclusively by our PCI-DSS compliant payment providers.
• Social media passwords or third-party account credentials.

3. How and Why We Use Your Data

We use your personal data only for specific, lawful purposes. We do not use your data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons you provided it, unless we have a separate legal basis to do so.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis for every instance of personal data processing. The legal bases we rely on are:

4.1 Performance of a Contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)

When you place an order, request a service, or create an account with us, we process your personal data as necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. This includes processing your payment, arranging shipping, performing the requested service, and communicating with you about your order or service. Without this data, we cannot fulfil your order or provide the service you have requested.

4.2 Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)

We process some data based on our legitimate business interests, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms. Our legitimate interests include:

• Providing customer support and responding to enquiries
• Maintaining accurate service and warranty records
• Improving our website functionality and user experience
• Preventing fraud, abuse, and security breaches
• Enforcing our terms and conditions and protecting our legal rights
• Conducting internal analytics and business planning (using anonymised or aggregated data where possible)

We have conducted a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) for each processing activity based on this ground, ensuring that our interests are balanced against your privacy rights. If you object to processing based on legitimate interests, please contact us (see Section 16).

4.3 Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR)

We are required by Dutch and EU law to process certain data for tax, accounting, and customs purposes. This includes retaining invoice records for 7 years, collecting VAT and EORI numbers for cross-border shipments, and cooperating with law enforcement or regulatory authorities when legally required.

4.4 Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR)

We rely on your explicit consent for:

• Sending marketing emails, newsletters, and promotional offers
• Using non-essential cookies and tracking technologies for analytics and advertising
• Recording phone calls for quality assurance (only where you have given explicit consent at the start of the call)
• Sharing your data with selected partner companies for co-marketing purposes (only where you have explicitly opted in)

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew consent. To withdraw consent, use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, adjust your cookie preferences via our cookie banner, or contact us directly.

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our retention periods are as follows:

When the retention period expires, we securely delete or anonymise your data. If data is anonymised (stripped of identifiers), it may be retained indefinitely for statistical and research purposes, as it no longer constitutes personal data under GDPR.

6. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. We share data only with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our business, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform their specific functions.

All third-party service providers are contractually bound by Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) under Article 28 GDPR. These agreements require them to process your data only on our instructions, maintain confidentiality, and implement appropriate security measures.

7. International Data Transfers

Our primary data storage and processing takes place within the European Economic Area (EEA). However, some of our service providers (such as payment processors, email platforms, and analytics tools) may process data in countries outside the EEA, including the United States.

Whenever we transfer personal data outside the EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, in accordance with Chapter V of the GDPR:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): We use the EU Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers to countries without an adequacy decision, such as the United States. These clauses impose contractual obligations on the recipient to protect your data to EU standards.
• Adequacy decisions: For transfers to countries that the European Commission has recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection (e.g., the United Kingdom, under the UK GDPR adequacy decision), no additional safeguards are required.
• Technical measures: We require all international service providers to encrypt data in transit (TLS 1.2 or higher) and at rest (AES-256).

If you would like a copy of the Standard Contractual Clauses we use with any specific provider, please contact us (see Section 16).

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons, pixels, and local storage) to make our website work, remember your preferences, analyse traffic, and (where you consent) support marketing activities.

8.1 What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and store information about your preferences or past actions. Cookies can be "session cookies" (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent cookies" (remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them).

8.2 Types of Cookies We Use

8.3 Managing Your Cookie Preferences

When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie banner that allows you to:

• Accept all cookies — enables all categories above
• Reject non-essential cookies — enables only Strictly Necessary cookies
• Customise preferences — choose which categories you accept

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Cookies and website data
• Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies

Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website, such as remembering your cart contents or keeping you logged in.

8.4 Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies are set by third-party services integrated into our website (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, payment provider widgets). These third parties may collect data about your online activities over time and across different websites. We do not control these third-party cookies. Please refer to the privacy policies of the respective providers for more information:

• Google Privacy Policy
• Meta (Facebook) Privacy Policy
• Mollie Privacy Policy

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data. These rights are free of charge, and we will respond to your request within one month (extendable to two months for complex requests). We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request to prevent unauthorised access.

9.1 Right to Access (Art. 15 GDPR)

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, along with information about how we process it. This includes:

• The categories of data we hold
• The purposes of processing
• The recipients or categories of recipients to whom the data has been disclosed
• The retention period or criteria used to determine it
• Your other rights (rectification, erasure, restriction, objection)
• The source of the data (if not collected from you directly)
• Whether automated decision-making is used

To request access, email help@greenboatengines.nl with the subject line "Data Access Request" and include proof of identity (a copy of your passport or ID card, with sensitive details such as your photo and ID number redacted if you prefer).

9.2 Right to Rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)

If the personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that we correct or complete it. You can update most information yourself through your customer account. For changes that require verification (such as billing address or VAT number), please contact us directly.

9.3 Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten") (Art. 17 GDPR)

You have the right to request that we delete your personal data in the following circumstances:

• The data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected
• You withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing
• You object to processing based on legitimate interests, and there are no overriding legitimate grounds
• The data has been unlawfully processed
• The data must be erased to comply with a legal obligation

However, this right is not absolute. We may be required to retain certain data to comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax records for 7 years), to establish or defend legal claims, or for reasons of important public interest. If we cannot fully erase your data, we will explain why and restrict processing instead.

9.4 Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18 GDPR)

You have the right to request that we restrict processing of your data in the following situations:

• You contest the accuracy of the data (restriction lasts until we verify accuracy)
• The processing is unlawful, but you oppose erasure and request restriction instead
• We no longer need the data, but you require it to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims
• You have objected to processing based on legitimate interests, pending verification of whether our interests override yours

When processing is restricted, we will only store the data and not use it for any other purpose, except with your consent or for legal claims.

9.5 Right to Data Portability (Art. 20 GDPR)

You have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format (such as CSV or JSON), and to transmit that data to another controller without hindrance. This right applies only to data processed based on consent or contract, and only where processing is carried out by automated means.

To request a portable copy of your data, email us with the subject line "Data Portability Request" and specify your preferred format.

9.6 Right to Object (Art. 21 GDPR)

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests (including profiling) or for direct marketing purposes:

• Direct marketing: You have an absolute right to object to processing for direct marketing purposes at any time. We will stop processing your data for marketing immediately upon receiving your objection.
• Legitimate interests: You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests if you believe your fundamental rights and freedoms override those interests. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, or the processing is necessary for legal claims.

To object, email us at help@greenboatengines.nl or use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

9.7 Right to Withdraw Consent (Art. 7(3) GDPR)

Where we process your data based on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew consent. You can withdraw consent by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
• Adjusting your cookie preferences via our cookie banner
• Contacting us directly at help@greenboatengines.nl

9.8 Right to Lodge a Complaint (Art. 77 GDPR)

If you believe we have violated your data protection rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in your country of residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement. For the Netherlands, the supervisory authority is:

10. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

We do not make decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects concerning you based solely on automated processing (including profiling). All decisions that affect your rights, order status, or service outcomes are made by human beings.

We do use automated tools for the following non-decision-making purposes:

• Fraud detection: Our payment providers use automated algorithms to detect potentially fraudulent transactions. If a transaction is flagged, a human reviews it before any action is taken.
• Marketing segmentation: We may use automated tools to segment our email lists based on purchase history or browsing behaviour (e.g., customers who have viewed outboard engines may receive outboard-related offers). This is not profiling that produces legal or significant effects — it is simply targeted marketing, and you can opt out at any time.
• Website personalisation: We may show you product recommendations based on your browsing history. These are suggestions, not decisions.

If we ever introduce fully automated decision-making that produces legal or significant effects, we will notify you in advance, explain the logic involved, and provide you with the right to contest the decision and request human intervention.

11. How We Protect Your Data

We take the security of your personal data seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

11.1 Technical Measures

• Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our website is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher (HTTPS). Look for the padlock icon in your browser address bar.
• Encryption at rest: Sensitive data stored on our servers (including account credentials and order data) is encrypted using AES-256 encryption.
• Secure hosting: Our website is hosted on ISO 27001-certified servers with redundant backups, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.
• Access controls: Personal data is accessible only to authorised personnel who need it to perform their job functions. Access is granted on a least-privilege basis and protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Regular security updates: Our systems, software, and plugins are kept up to date with the latest security patches.
• Password hashing: Account passwords are hashed using bcrypt or equivalent strong hashing algorithms. We cannot see or retrieve your password.
• Payment security: We do not store full payment card details. All payment processing is handled by PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant providers (Mollie, Stripe, PayPal).
• Penetration testing: We conduct annual penetration tests and vulnerability assessments by independent security firms.

11.2 Organisational Measures

• Staff training: All employees who handle personal data receive GDPR and data security training upon joining and annually thereafter.
• Confidentiality agreements: All staff and contractors sign confidentiality agreements that include data protection obligations.
• Incident response plan: We have a documented data breach response plan. In the event of a breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Dutch Data Protection Authority within 72 hours and inform you without undue delay.
• Data minimisation: We collect only the data we need and review our data holdings regularly to delete unnecessary information.
• Physical security: Our offices and workshop have controlled access, alarm systems, and secure storage for paper records.

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no internet-based service can be guaranteed 100% secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account password and for any activity that occurs under your account. If you suspect unauthorised access, please contact us immediately.

12. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. The sale and service of marine engines are activities intended for adults and boat owners who are legally capable of entering into contracts.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal data without your consent, please contact us immediately at help@greenboatengines.nl. We will delete the data as soon as we verify that it was provided by a child.

13. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, such as manufacturer websites (Yamaha, Mercury, Volvo Penta), review platforms, social media pages, and partner sites. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. If you follow a link from our website to a third-party site, you do so at your own risk.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business practices, legal requirements, or technology. When we make significant changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Post a notice on our website homepage or send an email to registered customers (for material changes)
• Update the cookie banner if changes affect cookie usage

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website and services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using our services and contact us to close your account.

15. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have a complaint about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You can reach our Data Protection contact at:

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and provide a full response within 30 days. If we cannot resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority:

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your GDPR rights, please contact us using the details below:

🔗 Related Policies

• Cookie Policy — Detailed information about the cookies and tracking technologies we use.
• Terms & Conditions — The legal terms governing your use of our website and services.
• Disclaimer — Limitations of liability and important legal notices.
• Copyright Notice — Intellectual property rights and permitted use of our content.
• Contact Us — General enquiries, support, and service bookings.