Platt’s Bunker Wire is best described as:

• A. Publication of prices for bunkers
• B. A guide to bunkering safety procedures
• C. A log of bunker supplier ratings
• D. A standard for bunker fuel quality

Answer: (A)

Platts Bunker Wire is a price publication. It provides current price assessments for bunker fuels in various ports, giving market participants a reference benchmark for budgeting and negotiating fuel costs on ships. This makes it a tool for transparency in pricing rather than a safety manual, a ratings log, or a fuel-quality standard.

It’s not a guide to bunkering procedures, so it doesn’t tell you how to safely perform bunkering. It isn’t a log of supplier ratings, so it doesn’t rank or review suppliers. And it isn’t a standard for fuel quality, which would set technical specifications you must meet. The value of Platts Bunker Wire is in disseminating price information that helps determine the economic side of voyages.