Ship Chandling in Cyprus
Provisions, bonded stores, spares and everything else on the requisition — delivered alongside or by launch, with the customs work done by the same desk.
A ship's call is short and the requisition is long. Chandling in Cyprus works best when one party holds the whole list — provisions from the market, stores from the chandlers, bonded goods from the customs warehouse, spares from the airport — and lands it in one delivery that meets the vessel, rather than five vans arriving against five invoices while the gangway staff lose count.
Shoham has been a ship agent in Cyprus since 1951 and a customs clearing agent alongside it. That combination is the working advantage here: half of chandlery is logistics, and the other half — bonded stores, duty-free spares in transit — is customs paperwork that has to run ahead of the van. One desk does both.
What we supply
Provisions
Fresh, dry and frozen stores for the galley. Fresh produce is bought against the order, not held hoping for one, which is why notice matters more here than anywhere else on the list — a day's warning gets what the market has that morning; three days' gets what the cook asked for.
Bonded stores
Tobacco, spirits and other dutiable goods supplied under customs seal for consumption outside Cypriot waters. These move under customs supervision from the bonded warehouse to the vessel, and the paperwork is the product as much as the goods are — which is why having the chandlery and the customs clearance on one desk saves a day.
Deck and engine stores
Ropes and wires, paints and thinners, gases, gaskets and jointing, tools, chemicals, lubricants in drums. The unglamorous half of the requisition, and the half where substitutions cause arguments — we confirm brand or spec equivalents before delivery, not at the gangway.
Cabin and catering stores
Linen, cleaning materials, galley equipment, mess consumables. Usually the easiest lines to fill and the ones that pad the delivery — worth combining with a provisions run rather than ordering separately.
Fresh water
Alongside at the ports, and through chandlers at the terminals — at Vassiliko, fresh water is supplied through chandlers rather than from the berth. Confirm quantity and rate when ordering; water is the item masters most often assume is simply there.
Spare parts — clearance and delivery
Spares consigned to a vessel in transit clear through customs without duty under the ship-spares regime, provided the paperwork names the vessel and the parts actually go on board. We clear them, hold them, and put them on the launch or the quay to meet the ship — the same desk that handles the customs entry, which is the point.
Waste and garbage
Garbage collection and oil waste reception are arranged as part of the call — at Larnaca both are standing services. Not chandlery in the strict sense, but it rides the same launch schedule, so it is ordered the same way.
Where deliveries happen
Alongside at Limassol, Larnaca and the Vassiliko terminals, and by launch at Limassol anchorage for vessels that have no reason to berth. A tanker working cargo at a terminal, a container ship on a tight window at the quay, and a bulker holding at anchor for orders are three different delivery problems — the requisition is the same, the choreography is not, and the choreography is what you are paying an agent for.
One call, one launch schedule
Stores rarely travel alone. A vessel at anchorage taking bunkers or holding for a ship-to-ship transfer already has launches running; a crew change is a boat with seats in both directions. Sending the requisition with the rest of the call, rather than after it, means the stores ride schedules that already exist — which is the difference between chandlery as a line item and chandlery as a second port call.
Frequently asked questions
Can you supply a vessel at anchorage?
Yes. Deliveries at Limassol anchorage go out by launch, which suits a vessel taking bunkers or holding for orders that has no reason to berth. The launch schedule is shared with whatever else the call involves — crew, stores, waste — so consolidating the order into one run is cheaper than three separate boats.
How much notice do you need?
Send the requisition with the ETA and we will tell you honestly what needs longer. Dry, deck and cabin stores are routine at short notice. Fresh provisions want two or three days to be worth eating. Bonded stores need the customs formalities to run ahead of delivery. Spares depend on where they are coming from — the clearance here is fast once the documents are right; the courier from the maker usually is not.
Can you deliver bonded stores?
Yes. Dutiable goods are supplied under customs seal from bond for consumption outside Cypriot waters, with the ship's stores declaration handled as part of the delivery. Shoham is a customs clearing agent as well as a ship agent, so the bond paperwork and the physical delivery are coordinated by the same desk rather than by two companies pointing at each other.
How do spare parts reach a vessel without paying duty?
Under the ship-spares-in-transit arrangement: parts consigned to a named vessel clear under customs supervision without duty, provided they genuinely go on board. Consign them care of us, naming the vessel and, if known, the port of call. We clear them on arrival, store them until the ship is in, and deliver to the quay or by launch. Parts that arrive before the documents are the usual cause of delay — send us the airway bill and commercial invoice the moment the parts ship.
Do you supply yachts as well as ships?
Yes — provisioning and chandlery are part of our yacht agency work at Limassol, including the marina. The mechanics differ (smaller quantities, higher expectations, tighter berthing windows) but the customs position on bonded stores and spares is the same.
Are you the chandler or the agent?
The agent — the same answer as for bunkering, and for the same reason. Goods come from established local chandlers and suppliers; we place the order, check the substitutions, coordinate customs where the goods need it, and attend the delivery on the owner's side. When the invoice and the delivery note disagree, the person who noticed is not the person who sold the goods.
Send the requisition
Vessel, ETA, port or anchorage, and the list — in whatever format the ship's system produces. We will come back with prices, the items that need substituting or need time, and one delivery plan for the lot.