A ship chandler is a retail dealer in special supplies or equipment for ships.
For traditional sailing ships items that could be found in a chandler might include: rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch (resin), linseed oil, whale oil, tallow, lard, varnish, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum, tools (hatchet, axe, hammer, chisel, planes, lantern, nail, spike, boat hook, caulking iron, hand pump, marlinspike), brooms, mops, galley supplies, leather goods, and paper.
The ship chandlery business was central to the existence and the social and political dynamics of ports and their waterfront areas.[1]
Today's chandlers deal more in goods typical for fuel-powered commercial ships, such as oil tankers, container ships, bulk carriers. They supply the crew's food, ships maintenance supplies, cleaning compounds, paint, rope, et cetera. The advantage of a ship's crew using a chandler is that they do not have to find stores in the town they have landed in, nor hold that local currency - assuming they are let out of the dock compound by the immigration authorities. Typically, the ship owner has a line of credit with the chandler and is billed for anything delivered to the crew of his ship. The chandler is supplied by merchants local to his location.
Their distinguishing feature is the high level of service demanded and the short time required to fill and deliver their special orders. Because commercial ships discharge and turn around quickly, delay is expensive and the services of a dependable ship chandler are urgent. Because these contracts are so lucrative, the practice developed among ship chandlers to rebate to ships' officers approximately 5% of the invoice price of the ships' stores billed to the vessel, to encourage repeat business.[2]
In Colombia, especially in the north port of Barranquilla, local ship chandlers also do garbage disposal from ships.[3] Special licences from local environmental authorities are required.