What is a ship chandler?

A ship service provider is a dealer in supplies and equipment for ships. Supplies the required commodities and services to vessels when at port, provisions, maintenance, etc. In the past it meant providing rope, fabric and other materials for the ship’s upkeep. Nowadays it means much more, passengers and crew have broadened needs. Furthermore, the evolution of ships produced other sorts of requirements, such as chemicals or other energy related supplies.

The origin and importance of the ship supplying service

Ship chandling services originated back when navy vessels had a need for provisions and other supplies for their long journey of months out at sea. These commodities were necessary to keep the boat sailing safely for a long period of time with no port in sight. The fleet would spend 20 or more days out at sea and was in dire need of food, water, spare parts, medicine, etc. Such is the case of the joint effort in design between the Spanish Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy: the replenishment oiler Patiño / Amsterdam.

What service does the ship chandler offer?

Nowadays ship suppliers perform the same tasks but there is a much larger variety of products and services of course. After all, ships, sailing and freight have evolved considerably through the years. Today, these suppliers provide:

• Food provisions: Fresh fruit and vegetables, beverages of all kinds, cooking oil, flour, and other canned and frozen foods.
• Ship repair and maintenance products: Wood and metal products, lubricants, oil, paints and primers, sealers, fillers, maintenance tools, osmosis related items, polishers, waxes and brighteners.
• Cleaning services: Teak cleaner, stain and residue remover, lime remover, anti-lime products, gel-coat, brighteners, disinfectants, sterilisers, grease removers, pH neutral soap, descaling products for toilets, water sterilisers, dehumidifiers, fabric and vinyl cleaning products, brushes, mops, brooms, rags and wipers, etc.

Spare parts and equipment: Spare bulbs and lights, screws, rechargeable drilling tools, locking pliers, steel wire, steel and polyester slings, lifting equipment and chain slings, jacks, rivet guns, feeler gauges, spark plugs, belts, oil filter removal tools, sandpaper, blowtorch, spare pins, metal drill bits…

Just-in-time business

In addition to supplying, chandlers provide administrative services, such as currency exchange, obtaining and validating crew landing permits, etc. Having a company like Suisca Group provide optimal, comprehensive services to you is the perfect deal.

Even when at port, members of the crew rarely have the time to go visit and do shopping, and these shops are often located far away from the docks. A good service provider offers port services that include fresh food and canned provisions for breakfast, lunch and dinner and for any coffee break needed by crew or passenger.

Crew will not be wasting time and will be able to focus on the task at hand, or proper rest and relaxation.

Suisca Group professionals provide offshore services, these are provided to ships out at sea with needs similar to those of the offshore rigs.

To make all of this possible, Suisca Group offers the best 24 hour customer service, favouring immediate, direct contact and support to provide the right solutions to the customer’s needs.

Advantages of a ship supplier

It is easy to see how ship chandlers play a multipurpose role that is regarded in high esteem. The most obvious benefits are as follow

• A time saver for all ships at port. A provider knows how to reduce any time delay, they know  precisely where to acquire the best products any ship needs. And they also have the adequate transportation to go meet the ship’s demands right on time.
• Produce comfort even in a strange, foreign port. The chandler will inform the ship and crew of everything that’s needed, even more if the vessel sails from a different country. Licences, currency, timetables, safety regulations… Crew and passengers understandably have many questions when they dock at a foreign port.
• Obtain the most beneficial exchange rates with the local currency. It’s worth noting the inconveniences derived from currency exchange. Sometimes it’s not easy to find a fair, trustworthy place. And other times the rates are prohibitive.

• Procedures and formalities dealt with the easy way. Service providers will effortlessly handle landing permits with the local immigration authorities. Crew time will be optimised and any task required of them while at port will be swiftly performed.

• Have a trustworthy partner who can provide a line of credit. Having access to a specialist in supplies and procedures is key to safe, successful travels. Fines and fraud will be prevented and large quantities of money and time will be saved.
• Merchant vessels are loaded and unloaded swiftly as per usual. At the same time a stock is always kept with the most demanded products, allowing for a practically instant replenishment of provisions and parts. An invaluable service if there’s ever an emergency situation.

As a ship supplier, Suisca Group offers everything a ship may need on a stopover. With more than 30 years of experience, all our customer’s needs are satisfied in an effective manner: the best customer support 24h and all the top quality products. Get in touch with us from anywhere in the world. A guaranteed success!