Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ: GOGL / OSE: GOGL) (the “Company” or “Golden Ocean”), a leading dry bulk shipping company, today announced its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Highlights

• Net loss of $33.1 million and loss per share of $0.23 for the second quarter of 2019, which includes $13.3 million in mark to market losses on derivatives, compared with net loss of $7.5 million and loss per share of $0.05 for the first quarter of 2019
• Adjusted EBITDA of $21.5 million for the second quarter of 2019, compared with $36.0 million for the first quarter of 2019
• Declared four options for scrubber installations, increasing the total number to 23 installations
• Completed refinancing of the non-recourse loans for 14 vessels, reducing interest expense and cash break-even levels
• Invested in Singapore Marine, a dry bulk freight operator
• Entered into a non-binding term sheet together with Trafigura and Frontline to establish a JV for supply of marine fuels
• Announced a cash dividend of $0.10 per share for the second quarter of 2019

Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Ocean Management AS, commented:

“Following a weak first half of the year, the third quarter has started off on a very strong note. Increased iron ore volumes and supply imbalances, combined with fewer vessels in the market due to scrubber installations have led to a dramatic turnaround in the market, which we expect will improve our third quarter results. The upcoming IMO2020 regulations are widely expected to positively impact the market and create a further competitive advantage for owners with modern, fuel-efficient fleets. There may also be supply chain issues that constrain supply of compliant fuels for some owners. We believe the scale of our fleet will again benefit us and that our joint venture with Trafigura and Frontline will further strengthen our ability to source competitively priced bunker fuel of good quality when and where we need it.“

Per Heiberg, Chief Financial Officer of Golden Ocean Management AS, commented:

“The weak second quarter results were negatively impacted by losses on our portfolio of derivatives of  $13.3 million as falling U.S. forward interest rates affected our interest rate hedges and improvement in freight rates late in the quarter partially reversed the unrealized gains on our FFA hedges in previous quarters. These losses coincided with a heavy drydocking schedule during the second quarter, which increased operating expenses. Excluding these effects, we managed to limit the influence of the weak market by delivering an average TCE rate above the market indexes for all of our vessel classes.“

The Board of Directors
Hamilton, Bermuda
August 15, 2019

Questions should be directed to:

Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal: Chief Executive Officer, Golden Ocean Management AS
+47 22 01 73 53

Per Heiberg: Chief Financial Officer, Golden Ocean Management AS
+47 22 01 73 45

 The full report is available in the link below.

Forward Looking Statements
Matters discussed in this report may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements, which 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. Words such as "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "will," "should," "expect," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this report are based upon various assumptions. Although we believe 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 our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

In addition to these important factors and matters discussed elsewhere herein, important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies, fluctuations in currencies and interest rates, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter hire rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the dry bulk market, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, 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, political events or acts by terrorists, and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Attachment

• 2nd Quarter 2019 Results