Golden Ocean Group

Earnings Release • Feb 16, 2022

GOGL - Fourth Quarter 2021 Results

GOGL - Fourth Quarter 2021 Results

Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ: GOGL / OSE: GOGL) (the "Company" or "Golden

Ocean"), the world's leading owner of large size dry bulk vessels, today

announced its unaudited results for the quarter and full year ended December

31, 2021.

Highlights

* Net income of $203.8 million and earnings per share of $1.02 for the fourth

quarter of 2021 compared with net income of $195.3 million and earnings per

share of $0.97 for the third quarter of 2021.

* Adjusted EBITDA of $243.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, compared

with $229.7 million for the third quarter of 2021.

* Reported TCE rates for Capesize and Panamax/Ultramax vessels of $39,304 per

day and $29,635 per day, respectively, and $35,256 per day for the whole

fleet in the fourth quarter of 2021. Estimated TCE rates inclusive of

charter coverage and calculated on a load-to-discharge basis, are:

* approximately $26,100 per day contracted for 75% of the available days

for Capesize vessels and $21,100 per day contracted for 72% of the

available days for Panamax vessels for the first quarter of 2022; and

* approximately $31,400 per day contracted for 22% of the available days

for Capesize vessels and $22,700 per day contracted for 14% of the

available days for Panamax vessels for the second quarter of 2022.

* Announced a cash dividend of $0.90 per share in respect of the fourth

quarter of 2021, payable on or about March 10, 2022 to shareholders of

record on March 3, 2022.

Ulrik Andersen, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"Today, we release the best quarterly result and the best full-year result in

the history of Golden Ocean. The record result has been made possible through

attractive market conditions, timely acquisitions and strong chartering

performance. Staying true to our strategy of returning cash to our shareholders,

we are paying out $0.90 per share in dividends for the quarter, taking the

dividends relating to 2021 to more than $500 million.

Looking into 2022, we have a considerable amount of fixed profitable charter

cover for the first quarter, which will protect our dividend capacity and build

a bridge into what we expect to be a much more attractive second half of the

year. Despite the recent weakening in freight rates, which we mainly attribute

to seasonality, we believe the outlook for 2022 and beyond is positive due to a

combination of steady demand growth and fleet supply that is at generationally

low levels."

The Board of Directors

Golden Ocean Group Limited

Hamilton, Bermuda

February 16, 2022

Questions should be directed to:

Ulrik Andersen: Chief Executive Officer, Golden Ocean Management AS

+47 22 01 73 53

Peder Simonsen: 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 earnings report may constitute forward-looking

statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, or the PSLRA,

provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to

encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business.

Forward-looking statements 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 is taking advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA and

is including this cautionary statement in connection therewith. This document

and any other written or oral statements made by the Company or on its behalf

may include forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current

views with respect to future events and financial performance. This earnings

report includes assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs

about future events. These statements are intended as "forward-looking

statements." The Company cautions that assumptions, expectations, projections,

intentions and beliefs about future events may and often do vary from actual

results and the differences can be material. When used in this document, the

words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan,"

"targets," "projects," "likely," "will," "would," "could" and similar

expressions or phrases may identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this report are based upon various

assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions,

including without limitation, management's examination of historical operating

trends, data contained in the Company's records and other data available from

third parties. Although the Company believes 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 the Company's control, the Company cannot assure you that

it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. As a

result, you are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements.

In addition to these important factors and matters discussed elsewhere herein,

important factors that, in the Company's view, could cause actual results to

differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements,

include among other things: the Company's future operating or financial results;

the Company's continued borrowing availability under its debt agreements and

compliance with the covenants contained therein; the Company's ability to

procure or have access to financing, the Company's liquidity and the adequacy of

cash flows for the Company's operations; the Company's ability to successfully

employ its existing and newbuilding dry bulk vessels and replace its operating

leases on favorable terms, or at all; changes in the Company's operating

expenses and voyage costs, including bunker prices, fuel prices (including

increases costs for low sulfur fuel), dry docking, crewing and insurance costs;

the Company's ability to fund future capital expenditures and investments in the

construction, acquisition and refurbishment of the Company's vessels (including

the amount and nature thereof and the timing of completion thereof, the delivery

and commencement of operations dates, expected downtime and lost revenue);

planned, pending or recent acquisitions, business strategy and expected capital

spending or operating expenses, including drydocking, surveys, upgrades and

insurance costs; risks associated with vessel construction; the Company's

expectations regarding the availability of vessel acquisitions and its ability

to complete acquisition transactions planned; vessel breakdowns and instances of

off-hire; potential differences in interest by or among certain members of the

Company's board of directors, or the Board, executive officers, senior

management and shareholders; potential liability from pending or future

litigation; potential exposure or loss from investment in derivative

instruments; general dry bulk shipping market trends, including fluctuations in

charter hire rates and vessel values; changes in supply and demand in the dry

bulk shipping industry, including the market for the Company's vessels and the

number of newbuildings under construction; the strength of world economies;

stability of Europe and the Euro; fluctuations in interest rates and foreign

exchange rates; changes in seaborne and other transportation; changes in

governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities;

general domestic and international political conditions; potential disruption of

shipping routes due to accidents or political events; the length and severity of

epidemics and pandemics, including COVID-19 and its impact on the demand for

seaborne transportation in the dry bulk sector; the impact of increasing

scrutiny and changing expectations from investors, lenders, charterers and other

market participants with respect to our Environmental, Social and Governance

practices; new environmental regulations and restrictions, whether at a global

level stipulated by the International Maritime Organization, and/or

regional/national imposed by regional authorities such as the European Union or

individual countries; and other important factors described from time to time in

the reports filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange

Commission, including the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form

20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The Company cautions readers of this report not to place undue reliance on these

forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. Except to the

extent required by applicable law or regulation, the Company undertakes no

obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements

to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this annual report or to

reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. These forward-looking statements

are not guarantees of the Company's future performance, and actual results and

future developments may vary materially from those projected in the forward-

looking statements.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section

5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.