Africa · South Africa

Ship Chandler Software for
Durban

Ship chandlers at Port of Durban 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 Durban
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 Durban with you.

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

Is this for you?

Software for the chandlers who supply Durban, 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 Durban
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 Durban 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 Durban — Photo: Stella Maris UK (public domain)

Durban and its port

South Africa's busiest port, where cars, containers and bulk cargo meet the Indian Ocean

Durban is South Africa's busiest port and the main sea link for Johannesburg and the industrial heart of the country. It handles more containers than any other South African port, along with cars, fuel and bulk cargo. The harbour sits in a natural bay behind a narrow entrance, and the city around it is home to a large Indian South African community whose roots go back to the 1860s.

For a ship supplier, Durban means steady work from container ships, car carriers, bulk carriers and tankers, plus ships waiting at anchor when the port is congested. Buyers range from South African agents to foreign ship managers. They want accurate quotes quickly, reliable delivery to berth or anchorage, and suppliers who understand the port's procedures. A chandler who can quote fast keeps orders that might otherwise go elsewhere.

Time zone: SAST, UTC+2 (no daylight saving)
Business languages: English, with isiZulu widely spoken
Working week: Monday to Friday
TEU a year: 3M+
vessel calls/year: 4,000+

Business culture

English is the main language of business, with isiZulu widely spoken in the city. Relationships matter, and buyers often stay loyal to suppliers who deliver reliably. WhatsApp and phone calls carry much of the day to day contact, with email for quotes and orders. The December and January holidays slow offices down, and Diwali is widely observed by Durban's Indian South African community.

Port and maritime heritage

British traders set up a post at Port Natal in 1824, and the town was renamed Durban in 1835 after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, governor of the Cape Colony. A sandbar across the bay entrance made it hard to enter for years. Harbour works began in 1855, and dredging finally opened the port to larger ships. From 1860, indentured workers from India arrived through the port.

Local market

Container ships dominate, alongside car carriers serving the region's vehicle plants, bulk carriers, tankers and coastal ships. Ships often wait at anchor, which creates demand for stores and provisions by launch. Buyers expect fast, complete quotes, reliable delivery inside the port's security rules, and clear invoices. Ship managers abroad value suppliers who confirm quickly and stick to the agreed time.

Working with us from Durban

Working with us from Durban starts with a remote 30 minute demo on one of your own RFQs. We set Tidal up on your catalogue and margin rules, no IT team needed, and you are usually live in about a week. India is 3 hours 30 minutes ahead of South Africa, so our team overlaps with your day from about 8:00 to 15:00 Durban time.

FAQ

Common questions from Durban ship chandlers

How does Tidal help Durban chandlers handle the diverse vessel mix?

Durban receives a wider mix of vessel types than most African ports, container vessels on Asia Africa services, bulk carriers loading South African coal and minerals, vehicle carriers transporting automobiles for the sub Saharan market, and tankers. Each vessel type generates different RFQ formats and provision categories. Tidal handles all of them through the same workflow: the AI extracts line items from any format, PDF, Excel, or plain text, and matches to your own catalogue appropriate to the item category. Your catalogue can include custom item classifications for specialized cargo vessel requirements, all of which Tidal processes with the same speed and accuracy as standard provision categories.

Can Tidal help Durban chandlers respond faster than competitors?

Durban is a competitive chandling market, with vessel operators comparing quotes from multiple suppliers before committing to an order. Response time is a primary differentiator, operators frequently choose the chandler who responds first with an accurate quote. Tidal reduces the quote cycle from 2-3 days to under 30 minutes. A Durban chandler using Tidal responds to RFQs before most competitors have started processing them. For RFQs arriving at night or on weekends, when manual operations are offline, Tidal generates completed quotes automatically, ensuring your operation responds first every time, including outside business hours.

What is the go live timeline for Durban ship chandlers using Tidal?

Durban ship chandlers are typically live within one week of kickoff. The deployment covers three areas: connecting to your existing email inbox, mapping your product catalogue to your own catalogue, and configuring your margin rules and client pricing tiers. No IT team, no server infrastructure, and no disruption to your active operations during onboarding. If your catalogue is already organized in Excel or CSV format, the mapping process is faster. Most Durban customers process their first automated quote within 2-3 days of starting the onboarding conversation, well within the one week go live commitment.

Ship Chandler Software forDurban