Asia Pacific · India

Ship Chandler Software for
Chennai

Ship chandlers at Port of Chennai use Tidal to turn RFQ emails into priced quotes in under 30 minutes, matched to their own catalogue and margin rules. Send us one real RFQ and we will quote it with you on a 30 minute call.

Built for ship chandlers and marine suppliers who quote vessels calling at Chennai
One AI-native ERP for RFQs, quotes, purchase orders, invoices and stock, matched to your own catalogue and margin rules
You approve every line before the quote goes out. Live in about a week, no IT team needed

See how it works Is Tidal right for you?

Get a live demo on one of your own RFQs

Leave your work email and company. We reply within one business day to set up 30 minutes, then quote a real RFQ from Chennai with you.

Looking for a ship chandler in Chennai, or selling to us? Read this first.

Is this for you?

Software for the chandlers who supply Chennai, not a chandler

Tidal is quoting software. Ship chandlers and marine suppliers use it to answer buyer RFQs faster. We do not supply vessels ourselves.

A good fit if you

Run a chandlery or marine supply business serving vessels at Chennai
Retype buyer RFQs into spreadsheets or your ERP before you can price them
Lose orders because a faster supplier answered first
Want consistent prices and margins on every quote, whoever prepares it

Not the right page if you

Need provisions or stores delivered to a vessel. Tidal does not supply ships, please contact a local chandler or your ship agent.
Want to sell products or services to Tidal. The demo form is for chandlers and suppliers looking at the software.
Are looking for a job. Please see the Agility careers page.

How it works

From buyer RFQ to priced quote, on your own catalogue

What changes for a Chennai chandler on the first day with Tidal.

1
RFQ arrives
By email, PDF, Excel or a portal export. Tidal reads every line, including vague descriptions and missing codes.
2
Lines matched
Each line is matched to your own catalogue and item codes, with unclear lines flagged for your team.
3
Priced your way
Your supplier prices, client tiers and margin rules are applied. You review and approve every line.
4
Quote goes out
Send the quote, turn it into a sales order, then check supplier invoices against it when they arrive.

See it working

A real quote, priced line by line

Quote Desk

Turns buyer RFQs into priced quotes and sales orders from your own catalogue and supplier prices.

See Quote Desk

Invoice Capture

Reads supplier invoices from a photo or PDF and checks them against the order before they reach your accounts.

See Invoice Capture

Meet us at IMPA Singapore

Stand SUZ 4, Suntec, 24 to 25 November 2026. Bring an RFQ and see it priced.

Plan your visit

Port of Chennai, India — Photo: Alexey Seleznev (CC BY 3.0)

Chennai and its ports

A car export hub on the Coromandel Coast, in the same time zone as our team

Chennai, once Madras, grew around Fort St George, which the English East India Company built in 1644. Its man made harbour, one of the oldest in India, made the city the main port of the southeast coast. Today Chennai is also one of India's largest car making centres, and the port, together with Kamarajar Port at Ennore and the Kattupalli terminal to the north, ships vehicles, containers and coal.

For a ship supplier, Chennai means a mix of car carriers, container ships, coastal vessels, tankers and offshore support craft. Buyers range from Indian ship managers to foreign lines on short calls. Many RFQs come in at once and need prices from a large catalogue. A chandler who can quote quickly and accurately, and track each order through to delivery and invoice, has a clear advantage.

Time zone: IST, UTC+5:30
Business languages: English and Tamil
Working week: Monday to Friday, with many firms also working Saturday
TEU annually: 1.5+
vessel calls/year: 3,000+

Business culture

Business in Chennai is relationship driven, and trust is often built through introductions and repeat work. English and Tamil are both used in deals, and English is standard in written quotes. Phone calls and WhatsApp carry much of the daily communication, with email for formal orders. Pongal in January, Diwali in October or November and other festivals change working hours, and many firms also work Saturdays.

Port and maritime heritage

The English East India Company built Fort St George in 1644, and Madras grew around it as a trading post for textiles. For two centuries ships anchored off an open beach, until an artificial harbour was built in the late 1800s, with Chennai Port dating from 1881. In 1914 the German cruiser Emden shelled the city's oil tanks. Kamarajar Port opened at Ennore in 2001 for coal and bulk.

Local market

Car carriers loading exports, container ships, coal and bulk carriers, tankers, coastal ships and offshore support vessels all call. Indian ship managers and foreign lines both buy here. Buyers expect competitive prices, GST compliant invoices, quick turnaround on long RFQs and reliable delivery inside the port's security procedures. Suppliers who can show the status of every order save buyers a lot of chasing.

Working with us from Chennai

Working with us from Chennai is simple, because we share the same time zone. You get a remote 30 minute demo on one of your own RFQs, Tidal is set up on your catalogue and margin rules with no IT team needed, and you are usually live in about a week. Our team works the same hours as yours, so questions and support happen in real time.

FAQ

Common questions from Chennai ship chandlers

How does Tidal handle the mix of coastal and deep sea RFQs at Chennai?

Chennai chandlers serve a dual market, large deep sea container vessels and bulk carriers on international routes, alongside coastal feeder vessels and Indian flag ships on domestic routes. These two segments generate very different RFQ formats: deep sea operators submit structured Excel or PDF provisioning lists; coastal operators often send informal text emails or WhatsApp forwarded lists. Tidal's AI extraction engine handles both extremes with the same accuracy. All incoming RFQs are automatically extracted, matched to your own catalogue, and quoted in under 30 minutes, regardless of whether the RFQ came from a Panamax container ship or a small coastal cargo vessel.

Can Tidal process RFQs from Chennai's growing bulk cargo sector?

Yes. Chennai handles significant bulk cargo traffic, particularly iron ore, coal, and fertilizer, and the vessels serving this sector submit provision and stores RFQs that differ in character from container ship orders. Bulk carrier RFQs typically focus heavily on engine stores, safety equipment, and deck stores for extended ocean passages. Tidal's your own catalogue matching engine covers all of these categories. Bulk carrier specific provision categories, including safety equipment for extended offshore voyages and heavy equipment stores, can be configured in your catalogue for automated matching.

How does Tidal help Chennai chandlers recover labor costs?

Chennai's chandling market is growing alongside India's expanding maritime trade. The challenge for independent chandlers is processing increasing RFQ volumes without proportional staffing cost increases. A Chennai chandling team that currently spends 3-4 hours per RFQ on manual extraction, item code matching, and quote formatting can redirect that time entirely with Tidal. The labor cost recovery is direct: $100K+ in annual labor cost recovered is the customer verified outcome across Tidal's customer base. For a Chennai chandler processing 30-50 RFQs per month, the labor recovery in the first year significantly exceeds the platform cost.

Ship Chandler Software forChennai