Terms of Service

1 Service Description

CanalClear ("Service," "platform," "we," "us") is maritime compliance software for validating customer-entered data and generating submission-ready documents and packages. Depending on the waterway, CanalClear may also provide portal-assisted preparation or a limited outbound email workflow. It does not provide verified direct authority submission unless the Authorities & Coverage page says so. Current product scope includes:

• Panama Canal (ACP): VUMPA and PCSOPEP validation and document/package generation, with portal-assisted preparation. Source: ACP-01
• Suez Canal (SCA/SCNT): transit data validation and submission-package generation, with portal-assisted preparation. Source: SCA-01
• Bosporus Strait (SP-1): SP-1 validation and package generation, with a limited outbound email workflow labeled BETA. Source: VTSC-01

Additional waterway requirements and reference coverage are shown on Authorities & Coverage. CanalClear is not a licensed ship agent and is not a party to any filing relationship between you and an authority.

2 Eligibility & Account Registration

To use CanalClear you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be acting on behalf of a legitimate maritime business (ship operator, fleet manager, ship agent, charterer, or shipping company)
• Have authority to enter into these Terms on behalf of your organization
• Provide accurate and complete registration information

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. Notify us immediately at support@canalclear.org if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

One account may manage multiple vessels and fleet registrations. Sharing account credentials with individuals outside your organization is not permitted.

3 Subscription Plans & Pricing

CanalClear offers the following subscription tiers:

Pricing is displayed in US dollars and is subject to change. We will provide at least 30 days' notice before any price increase takes effect for existing subscribers. Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance of the new pricing.

All plans are billed on a monthly recurring basis. Annual plans may be available; see the pricing page for current offers.

Features included in each tier are described on the Pricing page. We reserve the right to modify feature availability, subject to the terms in Section 13 (Changes to Terms).

4 Billing & Payment

Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance on the anniversary of your subscription start date. Payment is processed through Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor.

• You authorize CanalClear to charge your designated payment method for all fees owed.
• If a payment fails, we will attempt to retry the charge up to 3 times over 7 days. If payment is not collected, your account may be suspended until payment is resolved.
• All fees are exclusive of applicable taxes. You are responsible for any applicable taxes in your jurisdiction.
• You may update your payment method at any time in your account settings.

5 Cancellation & Refunds

Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings or by emailing support@canalclear.org. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You retain full access to the platform until the end of the period for which you have paid.

Refunds: Subscription fees are generally non-refundable. Exceptions:

• If you experience a material service failure (defined as >48 hours of platform unavailability in a billing month), you may request a prorated credit for the affected period.
• At our sole discretion, we may offer a refund for the most recent billing period if you contact us within 7 days of your first charge and have not generated any filings.

To request a refund, email support@canalclear.org with your account email and reason. Refund decisions are final.

Downgrade: You may downgrade from Ops Manager to Agent Pro at any time. The downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle. No partial-month refund is issued for the downgrade period.

6 Acceptable Use

You agree to use CanalClear for its intended purpose — validating customer-entered data and preparing maritime compliance documentation for the applicable workflow. You must not:

• Use the platform to prepare filings for vessels you have no legal authority to represent
• Submit false, fraudulent, or misleading information in any compliance filing
• Attempt to bypass subscription limits, vessel quotas, or access controls
• Reverse-engineer, scrape, or extract platform content, data, or algorithms for use outside the platform
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to access the platform at scale without prior written authorization
• Resell access to the platform or sublicense your account credentials to third parties
• Upload content that contains malware, viruses, or other harmful code
• Violate any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation, including maritime law and canal authority regulations

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms without refund.

7 Compliance Disclaimer — Important

Regulations change. Canal authorities update their requirements without notice. CanalClear makes reasonable efforts to keep its filing templates and validation logic current, but:

• You are responsible for verifying that all submissions comply with current requirements of the relevant canal authority before submission.
• You are responsible for the accuracy of vessel data, cargo declarations, and all other information you enter into the platform.
• Authority acceptance, transit authorization, deadline success, savings, and any compliance decision are external to CanalClear. A generated reference or email delivery is not proof of authority acceptance.
• CanalClear is not a licensed ship agent, maritime attorney, or compliance officer. Nothing on this platform constitutes legal or regulatory advice.

Validation is advisory. You remain responsible for customer-entered data, the final submission, applicable deadlines, and confirming current authority instructions. If you require legal advice, consult a qualified maritime lawyer or licensed ship agent.

8 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW:

• Indirect damages: CanalClear will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, transit delays, demurrage charges, or cargo loss, even if CanalClear has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• Cap on liability: CanalClear's total liability to you for any claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will not exceed the total subscription fees paid by you to CanalClear in the 3 months immediately preceding the claim.
• Regulatory outcomes: CanalClear is not liable for the rejection, non-approval, or delay of any filing by any canal authority, regardless of whether the filing was prepared using our platform.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations on liability. In such jurisdictions, the above limitations apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Indemnification: You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CanalClear, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses (including attorneys' fees) arising out of: (a) your use of the platform; (b) any violation of these Terms; (c) false or inaccurate information you provided; or (d) infringement of any third-party rights.

9 Intellectual Property

CanalClear's IP: The platform, including all software, algorithms, filing templates, validation logic, interface designs, documentation, and content, is owned by CanalClear and protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from our platform or content.

Your IP: You retain ownership of all vessel data, fleet information, and compliance documentation you submit to the platform. By using the platform, you grant CanalClear a limited, non-exclusive license to process, store, and display your data as necessary to provide the service.

Generated documents: Compliance documents generated by the platform using your input data are owned by you. You may use, submit, and distribute them freely for your maritime operations.

Feedback: If you provide suggestions, ideas, or feedback about the platform, you grant CanalClear a royalty-free, perpetual license to use such feedback to improve the service, without any obligation to compensate you.

10 Your Data

Your use of the platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

CanalClear will process and store your data as necessary to provide the service. We will maintain reasonable security measures to protect it. See the Privacy Policy for details on data retention, GDPR rights, and how to request deletion.

Upon termination of your account, we retain data only as required by the applicable account terms, legal obligations, and Privacy Policy; this does not create a universal retention period. You may export your data at any time before account closure.

11 Termination

By you: You may terminate your account at any time by canceling your subscription and contacting support@canalclear.org. Termination takes effect at the end of the paid period.

By us: We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if:

• You violate the Acceptable Use policy (Section 6)
• You provide false, fraudulent, or misleading information
• Your account is used for illegal activity
• Required by law or regulatory authority

In cases of suspected fraud or illegal activity, we may terminate without notice and without refund. In other cases, we will provide reasonable notice where practical.

Effect of termination: Upon termination, your access to the platform and its features ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive (payment obligations, IP rights, limitation of liability, indemnification, dispute resolution) survive termination.

12 Dispute Resolution

Governing law: These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with applicable law. For disputes between CanalClear and users located in the European Union, EU consumer protection laws apply and you retain your rights under EU law.

Informal resolution: Before filing a formal claim, you agree to attempt to resolve disputes informally by contacting support@canalclear.org. We will attempt in good faith to resolve your concern within 30 days.

EU users: If you are located in the EU and our informal resolution process fails, you have the right to seek redress through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) before your national consumer protection authority or through the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Class action waiver: To the extent permitted by applicable law, you waive the right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration against CanalClear.

13 Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Notify you by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect (for changes that reduce your rights or increase your obligations)
• Post a notice in the platform and update the "Last updated" date on this page

Your continued use of the platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, cancel your subscription before the effective date.

For minor changes (typographical corrections, clarifications that don't affect your rights), we may update without notice other than updating the "Last updated" date.

14 Contact

For questions about these Terms, billing disputes, or support:

CanalClear is operated under the brand name "CanalClear" at canalclear.org. By using the platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.