Have you ever heard the term ship chandler and do you know what exactly ship chandlers are supposed to do. Let us find out more about this interesting profession which is closely associated with ships and shipping.

On The Move Always

Ships keep sailing throughout their lifetime and sometimes for months at a stretch before reaching any port. This is exactly why they have to be loaded with all kind of goods. We are not only talking about food. We mean items that are needed for day today use. These could included everyday simple items like brooms, mops, rope, paper, candle, etc.

The business of supplying goods to a ship is an old one. It can be found in any port city. The ships stop at the port. The crew members load the ship with all the things that may need during the voyage. This is why they visit the ship chandler store. It is like a retail store that can be easily located on any port.

With time the concept of ship chandler has also changed. These stores today also keep a good stock of food and grains that the crew may need. Some also keep stock of fresh water. They keep maintenance supplies and cleaning compounds. The ship chandler mostly has a credit account with the shipping companies. So the crew don’t have to worry about paying the ship chandler. The account is maintained.

The ship chandler enters all the details of the supplies that were provided to the crew of the ship to the shipping company. The shipping company pays the ship chandler on a weekly or monthly basis. This makes the process more convenient as the crew may not have the foreign currency available all the time.

Role of Technology

The operation is much smoother now as online bank transfers are used by the shipping companies to pay the ship chandler. The ship chandler gets supply from the local retailers. The ship chandler pays the local retailers as soon as the supply is made. This ensures that the ship chandler has a good stock of all the required things at all the times. The ship chandler has to be very quick in his service and must have all the required goods available. The ships generally don’t have much time on a port. This is the reason why the ship chandler should work in a more professional manner.

What All Is Available?

You name it and you will get the goods in the ship chandler store. It is like a retail store for the ships and the crew. There can be more than one ship chandler in a port too. This depends on how busy the port actually is.

The government regulations of the port are also an important factor in deciding the number of ship chandler stores. The ship chandler stores are regulated by the local government. The function that the ship chandler stores function is critical. Many ships stop in a port due to emergency this is exactly why loading the ships on time is more critical.

Using the modern technology the ships usually place the order with the ship chandler much before the ship actually reaches the port. This ensures that the ship chandler can arrange for all the commodity required and start the loading process without loosing much time. The ship chandler has a number of representatives working for them who load the ship. The ship chandler pays them a salary.

Ship Chandler: An Art

The job may seem simple but the ship chandler must have a good knowledge of shipping. He must know what goods to keep and how much quantity. They need to maintain good relation with the suppliers and the shipping companies. They also need a good financial back up as most of the business happens on credit. The ship chandler must keep a good track of the competitors. The ship chandler does not let the competitors know what stock they have and how much they are charging for the goods. The ship chandler generally charges a little higher as they have a lot of operational costs too.

We hope that you have by now got a clear picture of what does a ship chandler do? Well the aim was to give a brief idea to the readers about the job of a ship chandler. The profession is not a common one. We are sure that very few readers have even heard of the same before reading this article. The ship chandler stores play a vital role in the smooth operation of the ports.

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