Petrobras' (PBR) Transpetro unit said Monday that Brazilian shipbuilding companies Ecovix and Mac Laren had won a bidding process to build four Handy class vessels for $69.5 million per vessel.

The contract for the acquisition of the vessels with a gross tonnage of 15,000 to 18,000 tons is set to be signed early next year, according to a Transpetro statement that was translated from Portuguese.

The company also said it expects to launch a bidding process in January for the acquisition of eight pressurized and semi-refrigerated gas tankers and another bidding process in June for the acquisition of four medium-sized vessels.

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