UK shipbroker Clarksons is expanding its deepsea tanker operations into Brazil after announcing a significant new hire.

The London-listed group said it has set up a desk under the leadership of “seasoned market expert” Bruna Carvalho de Lima, Brazilian oil major Petrobras’ head of spot chartering.

The Rio de Janeiro desk marks the seventh global location for the deepsea tankers team, with dedicated project brokers within five locations.