Ships to remain an attractive investment

Experts debate outlook at Marine Capital Conference 2008 staged by HSH Nordbank

Hamburg/Kiel, June 4, 2008 - The past few months have seen freight volumes, charter rates and ship prices in the global shipping sector rise to new record highs. So will ship investments continue to produce such impressive returns as in recent years? This topic will be debated by internationally renowned experts at the Marine Capital Conference 2008 on Wednesday, 11 June.

More than 150 shipowners as well as private and institutional investors are expected to attend this event which is co-organised by HSH Nordbank AG and BÖAG Börsen AG, the operator of the Hamburg and Hannover securities exchanges.

Peter Rieck, Vice-chairman of the Management Board of HSH Nordbank AG, commented on the return prospects in the global shipping market: “We are indeed seeing signs pointing to cooling returns from bulk freighters and tankers, even though this trend is less pronounced in container ships. Nevertheless, the shipping sector continues to offer good prospects for investors taking a long-term view.”

Rieck, who will open the Marine Capital Conference 2008, also said: “Shipping companies worldwide increasingly tap the capital market, partly moving away from traditional equity-based financing structures.” He went on to say that HSH Nordbank, being the world’s largest ship financier, remains a sought-after partner to shipowners who rely on the bank’s expert advice when tapping the capital markets.

According to Rieck, the ongoing international division of labour and growing world trade are among the long term factors supporting the case for shipping investments. Full order books mean that shipping companies have a great need for finance, resulting in strong demand for alternative forms of finance. The potential offered by this asset class for investors will be illustrated by a performance comparison to be presented at the Marine Capital Conference by HSH Corporate Finance. Speakers at the event will include Prof. Dr. Manfred Zachcial from the Bremen Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics as well as Dr. Hans-Heinrich Nöll,

director of the Association of German Shipowners. In addition, experts from HSH Nordbank as well as shipping company representatives - Dr. Arndt-Heinrich von Oertzen, Managing Director, TT-Line GmbH & Co. KG in Lübeck; Lars Solbakken, Board member, Ship Finance International Limited, Hamilton/Bermuda, as well as Philip Clausius, CEO, First Ship Lease Trust in Singapore - will provide practical insights and present their business models.

The event starts at 9.30 a.m. and ends around 5.30 p.m. To register, go to www.hsh-nordbank.de/mcc2008 or phone Silke Grossmann on 0431/900 112 84.

HSH Nordbank AG is a strong regional bank in Northern Europe with total assets of € 205 billion. Some 4,800 of the bank’s employees provide corporate and high net-worth clients around the globe with premium bank products and services. In its core region of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, it is the market leader in the corporate customer segment. HSH Nordbank is an acknowledged partner of the capital markets and international sector specialist. Its main focus is on transportation and real estate. In fact, HSH Nordbank is the world’s largest provider of ship finance and covers the entire value chain in the transportation segment. In the area of real estate, HSH Nordbank is one of the strongest banks in Germany, acting as a provider of services relating to all aspects of real estate.