ASPO'S ESL SHIPPING AGREES ON THE SALE OF MS ARKADIA

2007-01-11T13:00:35 CET

ASPO Plc STOCK EXCHANGE BULLETIN January 11, 2007 at 2:00 p.m.

ESL Shipping Oy, a subsidiary of Aspo Plc, has agreed on the sale of Ms Arkadia. The ship will be sold to India, and a profit of approximately EUR 10 million will be recorded as a capital gain. The sale of Ms Arkadia will reduce transport capacity by some 10% on a yearly basis.

The sale of the vessel is part of the ESL Shipping strategy for the renewal of the fleet. Last summer, a new Eira class vessel Ms Credo was launched, and two vessels of the same class were ordered from India. They will begin to operate in 2008 and 2009.

ESL Shipping is a dry bulk cargo carrier mainly in the Baltic region. In 2005, the company shipped some 14 million tons of cargo. The energy sector accounted for approximately 33% and the steel industry for about 57% of the transportation volume.

ASPO Plc

Gustav Nyberg

CEO

For more information, please contact:

Gustav Nyberg, CEO, Aspo Plc, tel. +358 9 7595 256, +358 40 5036420

Markus Karjalainen, President, ESL Shipping Oy, tel. +358 400 888 020

Aspo Group focuses on logistical services for industry. Aspo serves businesses in the energy and industrial process sectors requiring strong specialist and logistical know-how. Aspo's net sales in 2005 totaled EUR 204.9 million. About 36% of this came from Aspo Chemicals, 39% from Aspo Shipping and 25% from Aspo Systems.

ASPO'S ESL SHIPPING AGREES ON THE SALE OF MS ARKADIA

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