Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS) has lobbed a federal lawsuit at affiliates of the troubled Oaktree Capital Management-backed Harkand group.
The opening of litigation in the US comes after Harkand's European business went into administration earlier this week.
HOS, a New York-listed offshore vessel owner, alleges in the New Orleans case that Harkand Gulf Contracting prematurely cancelled the time charter of the 76-metre ROV support vessel HOS Mystique (built 2008).
The Louisiana-based offshore vessel owner's lawyers allege that Harkand was to pay $1m for the remainder of the charter, which started in March 2014.
