ASPO Plc STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE August 12, 2010 at 14:00 ESL Shipping Ltd, part of Aspo Group, has signed a ship financing agreement with Pohjola Bank plc totalling EUR 25 million. The maturity of the loan is 12 years. The agreement now signed will be used to finance the first EUR 30 million supramax vessel the company has ordered from the Korean Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd. The vessel will have a carrying capacity of 56,150 dwt. The two supramax vessels ordered from Korea by ESL Shipping are scheduled to be in traffic in the first half of 2012. ESL Shipping transports dry bulk cargoes, mainly in the Baltic Sea region; approximately 11 million tons in 2009. The steel industry's share of transports was 53 percent, and the energy industry represented 43 percent. The shipping company's fleet consists of 17 vessels, of which it owns 14 in full. Two are leased and one is partially owned. The total dead weight tonnage of the vessels is approximately 200,000 tons. In addition, the shipping company will also take delivery of a new vessel in the fall of 2010. The approximately 20,000 dwt vessel has been ordered from India. ASPO Plc Aki Ojanen CEO Further information: Harri Seppälä, Group Treasurer, Aspo Plc, +358 9 5211 or +358 400 617 201 harri.seppala(a)aspo.com Distribution: NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Key media www.aspo.com Aspo is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in the Baltic Sea region focusing on demanding B-to-B customers. Our strong company brands - ESL Shipping, Leipurin, Telko and Kaukomarkkinat - aim to be the market leaders in their sectors. They are responsible for their own operations, customer relationships and the development of these. Together they generate Aspo's goodwill. Aspo's Group structure and business operations are continually developed without any predefined schedules. [HUG#1437508]