Aspo - Company Announcement

ESL SHIPPING TAKES DELIVERY OF A NEW VESSEL IN INDIA

ASPO Plc             STOCK EXCHANGE BULLETIN        26.8.2011 at 12.15

ESL Shipping Ltd, part of Aspo Group, has taken delivery of a new, approximately
20,000 dwt vessel from ABG Shipyard Ltd in India. The vessel is owned by SEB
Leasing Oy, which has leased her to ESL Shipping under a long-term charter
agreement.

Designed to meet the needs of ESL Shipping's customers, the new vessel is a
self-unloading dry cargo ship specially built for Baltic Sea operations and to
the highest ice class (1A Super). She is equipped for Finnish winter conditions
and capable of operating even in the northernmost ports. The length of the
vessel is 156 meters and her maximum draft with a full cargo is 9.4 meters.

The new ship was christened m/s Alppila. Together, the shipping company's
vessels Eira, Credo and the new Alppila form the Eira class, which is specially
designed for operating in the shallow ports of the Baltic Sea. The cargo carried
by the vessels mainly consists of ore, coal and limestone. ESL Shipping's fleet
now consists of 16 vessels, of which it owns 12 in full. Three are chartered and
one is partially owned.

Alppila sails under the Finnish flag and her crew is entirely Finnish.

The new vessel strengthens ESL Shipping's position in the Baltic Sea area and
allows it to increase its market share in bulk transports.

ASPO Plc

Aki Ojanen
CEO

Further information:
Aki Ojanen, CEO, Aspo Plc, +358 9 5211, +358 400 106 592,aki.ojanen (a)aspo.com
Markus Karjalainen, President, ESL Shipping Ltd,
+358 9 5211, +358 400 888 020,markus.karjalainen (a)eslshipping.com

www.eslshipping.com

Aspo is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in the
Northern Europe and growth markets 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.www.aspo.com

DISTRIBUTION:
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki
Key media
www.aspo.com



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Attachments:

M/s Alppila (Photo: ESL Shipping).jpg