Brokers, operators and charterers often use messaging services including WhatsApp as a quick communication channel to update vessel fixtures and positions throughout the day and night: it is an instantaneous way to distribute market data. Typically an email with market updates is then written at the end of the working day, if not the morning after. But if a number of vessels go on subs mid afternoon, then the market can quickly move. Having recent up-to-date information injected into the platform provides our customers with a decision-making edge. At Signal we are obsessed with keeping an accurate count of commercially available vessels at all times. Integrating with instant messaging services takes us another step forward.

The Signal Ocean Platform (TSOP) continuously extracts and combines vessel fixture and position information from various sources to help our customers stay ahead of market developments. Signal Ocean aims to improve TSOP constantly, so adding a widely used WhatsApp integration will streamline the user experience with direct from-app updates. Most of this information is typically shared via email, but emails often take longer to be compiled and circulated in the market. This is why Signal Ocean has now added support for WhatsApp and Slack and is working on integrations with other messaging services. Our customers can now receive the latest market information on their mobile devices and paste it directly into the private Signal Ocean WhatsApp bot for instant processing to keep customers and their teams on top of the latest developments.