Who is a Ship Chandler?

In laymen’s language, a ship chandler is a person (or sometimes a group/agency) that totally deals in supplying required commodities for a shipping vessel and its crew. They work somewhat similar to the grocer, who supplies all the required food grains to households. A ship chandler supplies all the necessary and requisite commodities to a ship when at port. Because of this exclusivity and the nature of the profession, it so happens that each and every ship chandler is held in high esteem and regard.

Approaching the Ship Chandlers:

As briefed under there will be a number of benefits for the captain and crew of the vessel, if both of them approach directly to the Ship chandlers for their requirements.

• By directly approaching the ship chandlers, the captain, as well as crew, will be able to get all the required commodities from a single supply source. Thus, can get maximum discount or best deals for essential commodities.
• When the supply of essential commodities of ships is directly from a chandler it will save a lot of people from getting involved in this process.
• Direct approach eradicates the problem of unwarranted delays in supply, thus saving a lot of time and huge efforts from being wasted.

In short, we can say a direct approach to Ship Chandler for requirements reduces overall cost, saves time, reduces the chances of mess and confusion and is the best approach to get the requirements meet.

Requirements of Good Ship Chandlers

For starting the business of ship chandelling services one must obtain clearance from Government as well as Shipping Corporation of that country. The essential characteristics a good chandler should possess are as follows:

• They should have extensive knowledge about the nuances of all the necessities of the ship and its crew members.
• As Ship chandler has to serve to ship as well as its crew, so they must supply necessary commodities in time to quench the essential requirements.
• They should have to be acquainted with long voyage requirements and should facilitate the prior supply of items such as fuel and lubricants, repairing and servicing of the vessel, food items, etc.

This high level of competition also ensures that a well-learnt and experienced ship chandler earns a high rate of clients and thereby a huge remuneration even after providing with the necessary discount and rebate. The role of a ship chandler has changed over the years. In the olden days, a ship chandler mainly used to provide ropes, sail cloths and other such details to a ship’s crew. In contemporary times, a ship chandler’s role has been modified to providing maintenance requirements, food supplies, chemical compounds for the purpose of cleaning and many other modern items.

But however the role might have digressed and transformed, a ship chandler still is one of the most important necessities when one thinks about shipping and naval vessels. Without the services of a ship chandler, a ship and its crew cannot be assured of quality commodities required in a ship. In a world of changing thoughts, actions and priorities, a ship chandler’s responsibility and duty, however has managed to remain very constant and absolutely relevant