Excel Maritime Announces Availability of 2008 Annual Report on Form 20-F

ATHENS, GREECE--(Marketwire - May 1, 2009) - Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd (NYSE: EXM), an owner and operator of dry bulk carriers and a provider of worldwide seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargoes, announced today that its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and also may be accessed through the Excel Maritime Carriers website www.excelmaritime.com at the investor relations section under Financial Reports.

Shareholders may also request a hard copy of the Company's complete audited financial statements, free of charge, by contacting Capital Link, Investor Relations advisors for Excel Maritime, using the contact details provided below.

ABOUT EXCEL MARITIME CARRIERS LTD

Excel is an owner and operator of dry bulk carriers and a provider of worldwide seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargoes, such as iron ore, coal and grains, as well as bauxite, fertilizers and steel products. Excel owns a fleet of 40 vessels and, together with 7 Panamax vessels under bareboat charters, operates 47 vessels (5 Capesize, 14 Kamsarmax, 21 Panamax, 2 Supramax and 5 Handymax vessels) with a total carrying capacity of approximately 3.9 million DWT. Excel Class A common shares have been listed since September 15, 2005 on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EXM and, prior to that date, were listed on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) since 1998. For more information about the Company, please go to our corporate website www.excelmaritime.com.

Contact Information: Contacts: Investor Relations / Financial Media: Nicolas Bornozis President Capital Link, Inc. 230 Park Avenue - Suite 1536 New York, NY 10160, USA Tel: (212) 661-7566 Fax: (212) 661-7526 E-Mail: excelmaritime@capitallink.com www.capitallink.com Company: Lefteris Papatrifon Chief Financial Officer Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. 17th Km National Road Athens-Lamia & Finikos Street 145 64 Nea Kifisia Athens, Greece Tel: 011-30-210-62-09-520 Fax: 011-30-210-62-09-528 E-Mail: info@excelmaritime.com www.excelmaritime.com