UPDATE 1-Brazil expands Car Wash graft probe into Petrobras shipping contracts

Brazil police on Wednesday said they launched a new phase of a wide-ranging corruption probe, expanding the investigation into graft related to vessel charter contracts with state oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA. Three of the companies targeted in the latest phase of the Car Wash probe held more than 200 charter contracts with Petrobras, signed between 2004 and 2015 with a value of more than 6 billion reais ($1.43 billion), the police statement said. The police did not name the companies involved.

Companies acted as brokers and allegedly bribed Petrobras employees for privileged information to gain an edge in bidding for contracts, the police said. Petrobras did not immediately respond to request for comment

This is the 70th phase of the Car Wash investigation that began in 2014, implicating hundreds of people and shaking up Brazil's political establishment. ($1 = 4.1964 reais)