The New Orleans-based shipowner has placed the order at Eastern Shipbuilding Group with delivery set for April 2016.

On delivery from Eastern’s Florida shipyard the US-flagged 9,384-bhp hybrid newbuilding will begin a ten year charter.

The vessel is the fourteenth vessel ordered at Eastern Shipbuilding by Harvey Gulf in the past thirteen years.

In April Harvey Gulf told TradeWinds that it was preparing a newbuilding programme for 2014 that could more than double its existing orderbook.

Chief