Aspo - Company Announcement

Kimmo Nordström appointed to ESL Shipping Board of Directors

ASPO Plc     STOCK EXCHANGE BULLETIN    March 1, 2016 at 14:30

KIMMO NORDSTRÖM  APPOINTED TO ESL SHIPPING BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kimmo Nordström (54) has been appointed to the board of ESL Shipping, part of
Aspo Group, starting from March 1, 2016. He acts as the Chairman of the Board of
Container Finance Ltd Oy and the renowned Containerships Ltd Oy and the main
owner of the company. Kimmo is extremely skilled in the development of shipping
company operations into value-added services, working on the challenging Russian
markets as well as designing and construction of new buildings.

"I am extremely happy about Kimmo joining the board of ESL Shipping Ltd. The key
duty of the board is to ensure the long-term success of the company. His
background as an owner of a shipping company and in developing its operations is
an excellent addition to the board of ESL Shipping. Our board now has leading
expertise in arctic shipping, corporate and environmental responsibility of
shipping company operations and digitalization as well as strong strategic
vision," says Aki Ojanen, Chairman of the Board of ESL Shipping Ltd.

The other remaining members of the board are Mikko Niini, M.Sc. (Tech.), the
former CEO of Aker Arctic Technology Inc, Ulla Tapaninen, Ph. D., docent and
expert in international maritime logistics and Aki Ojanen, CEO of Aspo Plc.

"I wish to thank Lasse Rikala for his input in working in the board of ESL
Shipping Ltd between 2009 and 2016 and also for working as the acting Managing
Director of the shipping company from January 9, to April 30, 2013.

ASPO Plc

Aki Ojanen
CEO


ESL Shipping is the leading carrier of dry bulk cargoes in the Baltic Sea
region. The company's main clients are the steel, energy and mining industries.
Present fleet consists of 14 vessel units, and in 2015 the cargo volume carried
was 11.1 million tons. ESL Shipping ensures availability of raw materials for
industries and energy production throughout the year even in difficult climate
conditions. Special services include loading, topping off and lightering of
large ocean carriers at sea.

Aspo is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in 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.

Further information:
Aki Ojanen, CEO of Aspo Plc, Chairman of the Board of ESL Shipping Ltd, tel.
+358 9 521 4010, +358 400 106 592, aki.ojanen@aspo.com

Distribution:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Key Media
www.aspo.com





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