One of the most important parts in shipping companies is the Purchasing Department, as the purveyance on the vessels is a major part of the current expenses and a top priority for each business. Purchasing is usually defined as obtaining the right quality material, at the right time, in the right quantity, from the right source, at the right place (Lysons and Gillingham 2003; Baily et al. 1998). Van Weele (2005) also defined purchasing as the management of the company’s external supply of goods, services, capabilities necessary for running, maintaining, and managing the company’s primary and support activities is secured at the most favorable conditions. Although, there is no agreed definition of purchasing from literature, these definitions indicate that there is need for supply requiring to determination of specifications, supply continuity by choosing a suitable supplier, efficient buying (worth the value), and relationship to ensure supply at the right time to manage inventory and monitor efficiency of suppliers thereby defining the purchasing function. This happens as even a short delay in supplying vessels with necessities can affect not only the profitability but also the reliability of a shipping company. Therefore, it is necessary to organize and operate the Procurement Department according to each company’s business policy. The main purpose of this desertification is to record and analyze the procedures followed by the Purchasing department of shipping companies, its operation and interaction with rest departments and to clarify the criteria which are used to choose and evaluate the suppliers. In order to achieve such a result, each department of a shipping company will be briefly described focusing on the connection with the Purchasing Department. Afterwards, the procedure that is followed depending on the company’s business policy and the types of goods needed to be supplied will be explained. Last but not least, the selection criteria for suppliers will be specified so as to conclude to “proper” suppliers for each company.