Ship chandlers in Singapore:
a ship supply guide to the port

The Port of Singapore at a glance

Ships expect a fast, complete delivery in Singapore, and plenty of chandlers compete to give them one.

Which anchorages take stores

Singapore has 29 designated anchorages, and each one has a purpose written into the MPA (Port) Regulations. Using an anchorage for anything else is an offence, with a fine of up to S$5,000.

For supplies, two matter most. In the words of the regulations, the Eastern Anchorage (AEW) and Western Anchorage (AWW) are "for general purposes of receiving stores, water and bunkers, and waiting for berth facilities". Neither is for non-gas-free petroleum carriers, LNG, LPG or chemical carriers, which have their own anchorages. The Changi General Purposes Anchorage needs the Port Master's prior permission.

There are also dedicated bunkering anchorages, petroleum anchorages for tankers, holding anchorages and a quarantine anchorage. Check the ship's assigned anchorage with the agent before you plan the boat.

Who can go alongside a ship at anchor

• Only licensed harbour craft. Under the Port Regulations, no vessel may come alongside a ship at anchor without the Port Master's permission, unless it is a licensed harbour craft. Supply launches and boats are licensed by MPA, which sets insurance, manning and other conditions.
• Selling in port needs authorisation. Nobody may sell goods or provide services within the port unless licensed or authorised by MPA. The fine is up to S$5,000.
• The master decides. Nobody may go alongside or board a ship without the master's consent, or while it is moving through the water.

Most chandlers use their own licensed boats or a launch operator. We found no separate MPA licence for ship chandlers as such. The rules cover the boats, selling in port, and Customs.

A warning about "OPL Singapore"

East of Singapore there are no international waters. The territorial seas of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia meet, so a ship waiting "at OPL" is in another country's waters. In 2019 Indonesia detained the tanker AFRA OAK and its master for eight months for anchoring without permission in the area ships call Eastern OPL. Malaysia has also detained ships for anchoring without permission off Johor.

So an OPL delivery is a delivery into Malaysian or Indonesian waters. Before you send a boat, check with the agent that the ship has the permissions it needs.

Sea stores and Singapore Customs

Singapore Customs calls them sea stores: goods supplied for use on board, by crew or passengers, outside Singapore waters. What the supplier has to do:

• The 24-hour rule. Sea stores may not be delivered more than 24 hours before the ship departs. On board they must be locked in a store, stay locked within port limits, and must not be used in port.
• Liquor and tobacco. Duty-unpaid liquor and tobacco can only go to certain types of vessel, such as cargo and passenger ships, tugs and supply boats. The supplier must register with Singapore Customs first, then get an export permit through TradeNet and lodge security.
• Proof of delivery. The permit needs a signed acknowledgement from the master or storekeeper: number of packages, vessel name, date and time, name and position of the person signing.
• Supplier liability. If sea stores cannot be accounted for, the supplier pays the duty and tax. Stores the ship rejects can go back into a licensed or zero-GST warehouse as shut-out goods.
• Spares are not sea stores. Spare parts imported to be fitted on a ship in Singapore need an import permit with GST paid, which the importer can usually claim back. The onward sale to the ship can still be zero-rated (see GST below).

Duty-free crew rations, per crew member per day, are set by Customs:

GST on ship supplies

IRAS allows goods to be zero-rated where they are for use as stores or fuel on a ship, for fitting on a ship, for running or maintaining it, or for sale to people on board. You need the documents set out in the IRAS GST guide for the marine industry.

Under the Approved Marine Customer Scheme (AMCS), a supplier can zero-rate stores, fuel, fitted goods and maintenance goods for an approved customer's commercial ship used wholly for international travel, without keeping that paperwork. Ask your customer whether they hold AMCS status. Passenger harbour craft, pleasure craft and recreational vessels used in Singapore do not count as ships for this relief.

How to find a ship chandler in Singapore

• Singapore Association of Shipsuppliers & Services (SASS), registered in 1981, lists about 100 member companies: sass.org.sg.
• ISSA listed 55 Singapore member companies in October 2026.
• Marketplaces such as ShipServ, where many Singapore suppliers list their catalogues.

Ask which anchorages they deliver to, how they handle Customs permits for bonded stores, and how fast they turn round a quote.

For ship chandlers in Singapore

The rules above put a lot of record-keeping on the supplier: permits, signed acknowledgements, delivery times, and stock that must be accounted for. Margins are tight and the customer can always try the next chandler.

Chandler keeps that record on the order itself. AI reads the requisition from an email, PDF, Excel file or photo. Suppliers price items through a link, and your margin formulas build the quote. Once the ship confirms, the same order holds the supplier POs, goods received, packing, the delivery with handover photos, returns and the invoice, in SGD, USD or any other currency. See pricing, or book a demo below with one of your own inquiries.

Sources

Checked 20 October 2026.

1. MPA: record port performance in 2025 (13 Jan 2026)
2. Container News: global container port ranking 2025
3. Ship & Bunker: Singapore bunker sales January to September 2026
4. MPA: Tuas, the port of the future (city terminals to Tuas by 2027)
5. Ministry of Transport: Pasir Panjang until at least 2040 (2 Jul 2024)
6. MPA (Port) Regulations, regs 31, 43, 60, 61, 64 and Second Schedule
7. MPA: anchorages
8. MPA: licensing of harbour craft
9. World Ports Organization: the AFRA OAK case
10. Hellenic Shipping News: Malaysian detentions off Johor
11. Singapore Customs: supply of air and sea stores
12. IRAS: GST for marine and shipping
13. IRAS: Approved Marine Customer Scheme
14. SASS: about us
15. SASS: members
16. ISSA: members in Singapore