This is a legacy page. Please click here to view the latest version.
Tue 20 Feb 2018, 09:23 GMT

Aegean shareholder group 'gravely concerned' by board's 'silence'


Committee for Aegean Accountability says it intends to serve the company with a books and records request.



The Committee for Aegean Accountability - a group of long-term shareholders of bunker supplier Aegean Marine Petroleum who collectively control around 12 percent of the company - issued a statement on Monday to the chairman of the company's board of directors.

Below is the statement issued by Committee leader Tyler Baron on behalf of the Committee:

We are deeply disappointed by the Board's lack of response to our nomination of four highly qualified candidates for election to the Board at the 2018 Annual Meeting. The Committee has, in good faith, made repeated efforts at constructive engagement, including a public letter to the Company in December. To date, these efforts have been met with silence and dismissal from the Board. Unfortunately, this is consistent with the Board's established pattern of inadequately addressing the concerns of the very shareholders for which it has a fiduciary duty to represent, a pattern which required the formation of the Committee to begin with and has persisted.

A foundational principle of corporate governance is that the owners of a company are vested with the power to choose who will best represent their interests and uphold the fiduciary duties to which the board of directors is bound. The Committee's nominations present shareholders with a compelling choice to restore accountability to the Board and unlock substantial shareholder value. Based on extensive feedback from shareholders, the Committee is confident that its views are broadly shared. We look forward to soliciting votes in favor of the election of our slate of four highly qualified nominees to restore credibility on the Board and effect long-overdue changes at the Company.

The Committee would like to remind the Board that while the majority of its members are based in Greece, the Company is subject to the applicable laws and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where the Company is domiciled. This Board's troubling history of related party transactions that benefit Founder Dimitris Melissanidis at the expense of shareholders makes us gravely concerned that the Board's silence means it is contemplating a transaction designed to dilute shareholder influence at Aegean. We caution the Board against any attempt to suppress the voting rights of shareholders through a dilutive transaction.

The Committee can only interpret the Board's lack of meaningful response as a further indication of its entrenchment, and absent any communication, we intend to serve the Company with a books and records request to determine the full extent of the Board's involvement in related party dealings. As always, however, we remain ready and willing to engage in constructive discussions with the Company at all times.


Photograph of Oğuz Yazici, Country Manager at Oilmar DMCC. Oilmar appoints Turkey country manager as part of regional expansion  

Dubai-based bunker and cargo trader promotes from within to lead Turkish operations.

Photograph of the GNV Aurora ferry's first LNG bunkering in Genoa, in March 2026, with delivery tanker Green Zeebrugge alongside. GNV Aurora completes first LNG bunkering in Genoa  

GNV's second LNG-powered ferry receives fuel in Italian port, with a shore power trial scheduled.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) logo. MOL acquires 25% stake in V.Ships France, adds LNG carriers to managed fleet  

Japanese shipping company takes equity position in ship manager’s French subsidiary.

Equinor logo. Equinor signs two-year biomethanol supply deal with Wallenius Wilhelmsen  

Norwegian energy company to supply alternative fuel to shipping and vehicle logistics firm.

Phograph of Shanghai skyline with Oriental Pearl Tower in centre. Sing Fuels seeks bunker trader for new Shanghai base  

Candidates with two to four years’ industry experience and an established client portfolio preferred.

Map of Strait of Hermuz. Three vessels struck by projectiles in Gulf waters  

UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reports attacks on ships near Dubai and the Strait of Hormuz.

Photograph of the Aframax tanker Eagle Brasilia at sea. AET completes first bio-LNG trial on dual-fuel tanker  

Tanker operator tests renewable fuel ahead of FuelEU Maritime compliance requirements

Tangier Maersk vessel. Maersk introduces emergency bunker surcharge amid Middle East fuel crisis  

Shipping line cites Strait of Hormuz disruptions affecting 20% of global fuel supply.

World map with '15' overlaid text. ElbOil celebrates 15 years since founding  

Hamburg-based trader and broker has expanded its operation to various international offices since inception.

Cosco Shipping vessel with bunker tanker alongside. Hong Kong completes first green methanol SIMOPS bunkering operation  

Hong Kong Port Alliance delivers 200 tonnes of green methanol to dual-fuel container vessel.


↑  Back to Top