Americas · United States

Ship Chandler Software for
Los Angeles

Ship chandlers at Port of Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles
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 Los Angeles with you.

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

Is this for you?

Software for the chandlers who supply Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles
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 Los Angeles 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 police boat in the Port of Los Angeles — Photo: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view (CC BY 2.0)

Los Angeles and San Pedro Bay

America's busiest container port complex, shared with Long Beach on San Pedro Bay

The Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro sits beside the Port of Long Beach, and together they form the busiest container port complex in the United States. Much of America's trade with Asia lands here, from consumer goods to car parts, and the terminals handle some of the largest container ships afloat. The bay also hosts tankers, car carriers, a cruise terminal in San Pedro and a fishing fleet.

For a ship supplier the work is shaped by scale and rules. Ships are big, calls are tightly scheduled, and terminal access, security credentials and California's environmental regulations all affect how and when stores reach a vessel. Requests often come from managers in Asia or Europe, hours ahead of local time. A chandler who turns long lists into accurate quotes overnight starts each day with orders rather than a backlog.

Time zone: PT, UTC minus 8 (UTC minus 7 in summer)
Business languages: English, with Spanish widely spoken
Working week: Monday to Friday
TEU a year: 20M+
vessel calls/year: 3,500+

Business culture

Business in Los Angeles is direct and fairly informal, with first names used from the start. Decisions are usually made quickly once the numbers are clear, and buyers expect written quotes and prompt follow through. Email is the record, though phone and text are normal for urgent orders. English is the business language, with Spanish widely spoken. Thanksgiving and the late December holidays are the main slow periods.

Port and maritime heritage

San Pedro Bay was a shallow, exposed anchorage until the federal government backed a deep water harbour there in the 1890s, after a long contest with Santa Monica. The city created its Board of Harbor Commissioners on 9 December 1907, the official founding of the port, and annexed San Pedro and Wilmington in 1909. The breakwater and dredged channels turned it into a major Pacific port.

Local market

Container lines dominate, alongside tankers serving local refineries, car carriers, bulk ships and cruise lines. Buyers include ship managers abroad, local agents and the US offices of large carriers. They expect accurate pricing, documented compliance, delivery to the right terminal gate on time and invoices that match the purchase order exactly. Missed windows are costly here, so reliability counts for as much as price.

Working with us from Los Angeles

We begin with a remote 30 minute demo on one of your own RFQs, priced from your catalogue. You can be live in about a week on your own catalogue and margin rules, with no IT team. India is 12.5 hours ahead of Los Angeles in summer and 13.5 in winter, so our evening meets your early morning, and work finished in our day is ready when you start.

FAQ

Common questions from Los Angeles ship chandlers

How does Tidal help Los Angeles chandlers respond within container vessel berth windows?

Transpacific container vessels arriving at LA/Long Beach operate on tight rotation schedules, berth windows of 24-48 hours are standard for mega vessels, and the provisioning order must be ready before arrival or shortly after. Tidal's under-30 minute quote generation ensures your response reaches the vessel operator's purchasing department within the same business day the RFQ arrives, often within the same hour. For LA chandlers competing against other West Coast suppliers, this response speed is the primary differentiator. Operators choose the chandler they can count on to respond accurately and quickly every time.

Does Tidal handle the complex customs documentation requirements for US port provisioning?

Tidal automates the quote and pricing layer, the item code matching, margin application, and quote document generation. US customs documentation for bonded stores and duty free provisions is handled by your existing customs broker or internal compliance team. Tidal's quote output includes full line item detail with your own catalogue codes, which simplifies the handoff to customs documentation, your broker has the structured data they need to prepare CBP paperwork without reformatting your quote. For standard deck and engine stores (non bonded), no additional customs documentation is required and Tidal's quote is the complete deliverable.

Can Tidal work with the ERP systems used by US ship chandlers?

Tidal integrates with ShipNet and Bassnet, both used by US based chandlers serving international fleet operators. For chandlers on other platforms or managing operations through spreadsheets, Tidal's standalone mode requires only your email inbox and product catalogue. The go live process takes one week and does not require IT involvement. Many US chandlers in Tidal's customer base started with standalone mode and found the standalone configuration sufficient for their full operation. ERP integration is an option, not a requirement, and can be added after go live if needed.

Ship Chandler Software forLos Angeles