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.


Ardmore Shipping logo. Ardmore Shipping posts 14% fleet emissions reduction in 2025 sustainability report  

Ardmore Shipping’s annual sustainability report highlights emissions cuts, safety gains and governance rankings across its tanker fleet.

Peter Keller, SEA-LNG. SEA-LNG mid-year review points to continued growth across methane pathway as coalition marks tenth anniversary  

LNG orders, bunkering volumes and biomethane production all rise as SEA-LNG gains IMO consultative status.

Heinz vessel. Econowind receives DNV type approval for VentoFoil 3-Series wind propulsion wing  

DNV certification set to streamline integration of VentoFoils on classed vessels worldwide.

Wärtsilä ammonia engine Wärtsilä to supply ammonia engines and propulsion systems for two Navigator Amon gas carriers  

Mid-size LPG/liquid ammonia carriers will be equipped with Wärtsilä’s ammonia-fuelled auxiliary engines.

Phil Sharp and Toon Muhlheim. Genevos and Koedood Marine Group sign LOI to explore hydrogen fuel cell deployment  

Two companies to collaborate on the use of hydrogen fuel cell systems for inland and coastal maritime transport.

Samskip SeaShuttle vessel render. Samskip brings SeaShuttle project into European HyShip initiative to develop liquid hydrogen infrastructure  

Two hydrogen-powered container vessels will operate between Rotterdam and Oslo from 2027.

Antwerpen vessel. Korea Register and HD Hyundai team up to advance ammonia-fuel shipping in South Korea  

Two organisations are cooperating on eco-friendliness verification for ammonia dual-fuel vessels.

Fabio Cococcetta, WinGD. Green ammonia could become the first commercially viable zero-emission marine fuel, WinGD study suggests  

Joint report by WinGD and Envision Energy sets out the economic case for green ammonia.

Rasul Shirinov, Oilmar. Oilmar appoints junior marine fuels trader at Dubai trading desk  

UAE-headquartered bunker firm hires Rasul Shirinov, with a background in the agricultural sector.

Antonia Maersk vessel. Maersk bunkers large dual-fuel vessel with 100% ethanol in Barcelona  

Ocean carrier scales up ethanol bunkering in bid to broaden its low-emission fuel strategy.


↑  Back to Top