NewLead Holdings is the target of a $14.3m US lawsuit by a DHL chartering arm alleging that the Greek shipowner is responsible for deficiencies on a bulker that led to a costly cargo delay.

The German multimodal giant's DHL Project & Chartering affiliate filed the litigation in Savannah after a Chinese subcharterer initiated separate arbitration over the vessel problems.

The suit alleges that the 135,000-dwt bulker NewLead Venetico (built 1990) was detained in Australia for various deficiencies.