Bunker community seen migrating from Yahoo to Skype

It looks like much of the bunkering community is migrating to Skype to replace the functionalities offered by Yahoo Messenger that will be lost when Yahoo terminates that service on August 5.

Judging by communications received by IBIA, bunker buying departments, traders, suppliers and brokers have decided to use Skype for Business, or the free versions of Skype.

Skype stores and syncronises chat messages across multiple devices, including desktop PCs and smartphones. WhatsApp, a hugely popular smart phone application, offers the same functionality, as it too has a desktop application.

Most parties have said they remain open to accepting messages from existing Yahoo Messenger channels until it closes, as well as phone, email and other communication tools adopted by the markets.

Even so, it seems Skype is the preferred tool to take over from Yahoo Messenger for bunker trading communications.

Price benchmark service Platts decided in late June that it would begin to use the ICE Instant Messenger tool for its communication processes around the Market on Close and eWindow environments, as well as support the web versions of Skype and the enterprise level Skype for Business for communication across any market.

US-based attorney Steve Simms of Simms Showers LLP, a board member of IBIA comments: “The choice of Yahoo replacement is also important from a legal standpoint – whether Skype, Yahoo or anything else, the communications back and forth form the contract (including often, incorporation of terms and conditions) or at least inform its context. Having the means to store and recall chat messages is important if/when there is a contract dispute.”