Taking complete care of the ship and its crew

Ship chandlers are retail leaders who specialize in supplies and equipment for ships. In the traditional sailing ships of the olden times, chandlery, or the ship store the place where these items are stored, might contain items catering to the ship's maintenance and operation like turpentine, pitch (resin), tar, whale oil, tallow, linseed oil, rosin, tallow, varnish, and lard; maintenance hardware such as twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum, marine equipment covering tools (hammer, nails, chisel, axe, hatchet, boat hook, marlinspike, caulking iron, lantern, planes, hand pump, spike). Cleaning apparatus supplied include mops, brooms, galley supplies, leather goods and paper. The ship chandlery business formed an integral component in the port areas in their upkeep, and business demands.

In today's environment, the chandlers deal more with the goods which are typically used in large fuel-powered commercial ships: for example, bulk carrier, container ships, and oil tankers. The chandlers supply the crew's food, ship's maintenance & marine supplies, cleaning compounds, rope, et cetera.

Benefits for the ship

With the services of a ship chandler, the ship's crew does not have to find stores in the port/town they have landed in. They need not hold the local currency. In a typical arrangement, the ship's owner has a line of credit with the chandler and is billed for anything delivered to the crew of his/her ship. The chandler, in turn, gets his supply of material from the merchants local to his location.

It is of interest to note that the distinguishing feature of the chandlers is the high level of service demanded and the short time required to fill and deliver their special orders; this is because the commercial ships tend to discharge and turn around quickly when delays can be expensive. Thus, the services of the chandler become urgent.

Credentials

In keeping with the current era of communication/information, the chandlers have established websites whereby they furnish all important details. The year of establishment, license from the relevant authorities, the list of tools, products and manpower services offered are displayed in a neat arrangement. Many chandlers have certification from ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management Standards, as well as DNV (Det Norke Veritas) certification. They also endorse HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) to further ensure safe and hazard-free food products.

The chandlers aim to continuously provide high quality products combined with cost-effective prices, while assuring fastest delivery. While being at their friendliest bet on interaction, they strive to ensure professional and efficient services. They also aim to stock or outsource any requirements from the ship's authorities irrespective of whether they are of varied amounts or severe restriction of the deadline for delivery. Their mantra is to deliver ship supply - materials of best quality safely and on time.

Chandler services are characterized by:

  • 24 x 7 availability
  • Branded products
  • Best Class Service
  • Large network
  • Rich experience
  • Operations at all major ports
  • Serving a long list of clientele
  • Fastest Supplies

Materials supplied


Category-wise items supplied by chandlers:

Food front

The extensive range of food items in the meat category include beef meat, pork meat, minced meat, lamb/mutton meat, veal meat, offals, poultry, sausages, canned meat, fishes and fillets, smoked and salted fishes, shell fishes, canned fishes, sauces.

On the vegetarian front, the items supplied cover dairy products, oils and fats, flour products, sugar, breakfast cereals, breads and rolls, sweet and cakes, coffee, cocoa, tea, fruit juices, soft drinks, canned fruits, fruits dried and nuts, frozen fruits, ice cream, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, dried vegetables, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and seasonings.

Items for bonded stores such as cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, gin, whisky, rum, brandy, cognac, vodka, liquor, wine, beer, and soft drinks are also part of the food for the ship supply.

Technical equipment

Technical equipment, critical for the ship's smooth maintenance and running, is also supplied by the chandlers:

Some of the items are marine engineer's tools, steel, copper, bronze material, valves and pipes, packing, jointing, bearing, etc., bolts, nuts and screw, etc., lubrication oils and chemicals, paints and painting equipment, oil resisting material, boilers, heat resisting material, insulation materials, cables, bulbs/lamps, fuses, etc., deck fitting accessories, life saving equipment, fire protection, welding equipment, and full range of cabin stores.

Fenders are helpful in deep water ports during open sea loading and unloading. The ship requires protection from swaying especially during rough and tough weather conditions and the disturbance created by sea wave action. Known as Yokohama Fenders, these are used for the right movement of the ship up and down, back and forth and left to right. Ships are protected from all kinds of weather conditions by allowing the initial contact with a slow increase of reaction force.

A wide assortment of Wire slings manufactured by using qualitative raw material with Test certificate and procured from quality driven industries form part of the supply of technical equipment.

Chandlers supply lifting & hardware items. These find extensive application in the maintenance of ships when heavy components or materials are to be lifted or shifted; also when tightening some heavy parts. Polyester, wire rope & chain slings are also supplied. These are made from alloy steel. This equipment has won good appreciation for their quality and consistent performance.

Stationery

Items such as stationery and office equipment and hygiene products are also supplied.

Chemicals

Chandlers also perform as chemical suppliers. All important chemicals required for the ship's upkeep and smooth running are supplied. These include membrane cleaners, carbon removers, penetrol, Metal Brite, discleaners, fuel additives, other additives, sludge brakers, powder/stock sticks, Uniwash, Ecofriend, Rosuds, Fore & Aft, etc.

Ship Maintenance services

Chandlers also undertake certain specific maintenance schedules like shaft cleaning, hull inspection, propeller work, and sea chest valve cleaning. They undertake sewage treatment, oil-water separator, Main/Auxiliary engine maintenance, turbochargers, and air compressors oil purifiers: they have ready stock of the spares required on this front. They also undertake barnical sea growth cleaning with highly qualified scuba divers and provide underwater digital photographs as well as videography.

Other services offered include annual life raft servicing with any sort of classification and survey attached picture after completion of boxing up.

Ship store

They take care of the special requirements of the deck, engine and cabin stores. The chandlers have ready stock of the ship spares.