Dutch pipe group Van Leeuwen is moving into the Brazilian offshore sector with the acquisition of a Latin company. Effective from 1 January, Van Leeuwen Pipes and Tubes, which supplies both the chemical and oil and sectors, took over Tubexpress. Formed in 1990 in Brazil, Tubexpress supplies pipes and tubes to the oil, gas and petrochemicals industries and employs 65 people, in Osasco and São Carlos, both in the state of São Paulo.