ATHENS, GREECE--(Marketwired - Feb 10, 2015) - Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the "Company" or "Star Bulk") (NASDAQ: SBLK), a global shipping company providing transportation solutions in the dry bulk sector, today announced that Bocimar International NV, CTM (C Transport Holding Ltd), Golden Union Shipping Co S.A., Golden Ocean Group Limited ("Golden Ocean") and Star Bulk Carriers Corp. have formed a new joint venture company, Capesize Chartering Ltd.

The parties operate in the highly competitive and fragmented Capesize industry, and neither party owns, controls or manages sufficient Capesize vessels to provide competitively priced bids and efficient trading and operations to serve its customers.

The new company will combine and coordinate the chartering services of all the parties. For the customers this represents the benefit of a wider geographic area in which vessels can be made available and with shorter spread between loading dates. For the shipowners the major benefit is achieving a reduction in costs, since always the best positioned vessel can be offered for a fixture of a cargo. This will reduce ballast voyages and associated running costs, notably in respect of bunkers. A reduction of waiting time and time spent in positioning the vessels will benefit the industry as a whole, in the form of reduction of ballast bonuses and demurrage payable by charterers/cargo owners, and a reduction of deviation, waiting time and idle time for the account of the shipowners.

It is therefore our joint belief that the new company in sum will offer to the market a combined Capesize fleet with more flexibility and options, that will benefit both the shipowners and the charterers/cargo owners.

Bunkers savings through improved planning of vessel movements and positioning also promotes the participating shipowners' combined efforts to promote CSR by reducing carbon emissions.

Our business vision and model will be to offer to the market, irrespective of ownership, the best suitable vessel taking into account the respective vessels' characteristics, position and availability.

Stabilizing and improving net voyage returns to owners of Capesize vessels at sustainable levels as a result of the contemplated optimization, will enhance the participating shipowners ability to continue to maintain our vessels to the highest standards demanded by the industry, which also will improve our ability to offer to our customers high quality at competitive costs.

Capesize Chartering Ltd will commence operations in the second half of February 2015 from the existing offices of each of the five parties involved.

About Star Bulk
Star Bulk is a global shipping company providing worldwide seaborne transportation solutions in the dry bulk sector. Star Bulk's vessels transport major bulks, which include iron ore, coal and grain and minor bulks which include bauxite, fertilizers and steel products. Star Bulk was incorporated in the Marshall Islands on December 13, 2006 and maintains executive offices in Athens, Greece. Its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "SBLK". On a fully delivered basis, Star Bulk will have a fleet of 100 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 11.7 million dwt, consisting of Newcastlemax, Capesize, Kamsarmax, Panamax, Post-Panamax, Ultramax, Supramax and Handymax vessels with carrying capacities between 45,590 dwt and 209,000 dwt. Our fleet currently includes 64 operating vessels, 2 second hand vessels to be delivered in early 2015 and 34 newbuilding vessels currently under construction at shipyards in Japan and China. All of the newbuilding vessels are expected to be delivered during 2015 and 2016.

Forward-Looking Statements
Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, examination by the Company's management of historical operating trends, data contained in its records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Company's control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Company's view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include general dry bulk shipping market conditions, including fluctuations in charterhire rates and vessel values, the strength of world economies, the stability of Europe and the Euro, fluctuations in interest rates and foreign exchange rates, changes in demand in the dry bulk shipping industry, including the market for our vessels, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry docking and insurance costs, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, the availability of financing and refinancing, our ability to meet requirements for additional capital and financing to complete our newbuilding program and grow our business, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hire, risks associated with vessel construction, potential exposure or loss from investment in derivative instruments, potential conflicts of interest involving our Chief Executive Officer, his family and other members of our senior management, and our ability to complete acquisition transactions as planned. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.