Transpetro has cancelled orders for 17 tankers placed at Brazilian shipyards, according to news reports. The orders were placed under a programme initiated under one of Brazil's previous presidents who is now under investigation for corruption charges.

"We decided to revoke the contracts for those ships," Antonio Silvino, head of Transpetro, said to Reuters regarding the order.

According to Clarksons, Transpetro had ordered two suezmax tankers, five aframax tankers, three long-range-one (LR1) tankers, and eight medium-range tankers.

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