Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Apr 10, 2025
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders (the "Meeting") of Northern Ocean Ltd. (the "Company") will be held on 8 May 2025 at 16:00 hrs at Hamilton Princess and Beach Club, 76 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton, Bermuda for the following purposes, all of which are more completely set forth in the accompanying information statement:
To receive and adopt the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the period ended 31 December 2024.
To consider the following Company proposals:
By Order of the Board of Directors
James Ayers Secretary
10 April 2025
In accordance with Section 84 of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda, the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the period ended 31 December 2024 will be presented at the Meeting. These statements have been approved by the Directors of the Company. There is no requirement under Bermuda law that such statements be approved by the shareholders, and no such approval will be sought at the Meeting.
The Company's audited consolidated financial statements will be available on its website at www.northernocean.no ahead of the Meeting.
It is proposed, in accordance with Bye-law 97, that the maximum number of Directors is eight. It is further proposed, in accordance with Bye-law 97, vacancies in the number of Directors be designated casual vacancies and that the Board of Directors be authorised to fill such casual vacancies as and when it deems fit. Any director appointed to fill such a casual vacancy shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting following his or her election or until his or her successor is elected.
The Board has nominated the five persons listed below for selection as directors of the Company. Gary Casswell, James Ayers, Sven Børre Larsen, Mikhael Botbol and Jan Erik Klepsland are currently directors of the Company. As provided in the Company's Bye-laws, each Director is elected at each Annual General Meeting of Shareholders and shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting following his or her election or until his or her successor is elected.
Information concerning the nominees for Directors of the Company is set forth below:
| Name | Director Since | Position with the Company | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary W. Casswell | 2019 | Director and Chairman |
|
| James Ayers | 2019 | Director | |
| Sven Børre Larsen |
2023 | Director | |
| Mikhael Botbol | 2023 | Director | |
| Jan Erik Klepsland | 2023 | Director |
Gary W. Casswell was appointed to the Board in September 2019. Mr. Casswell has more than 35 years industry experience, most recently as President and CEO of Northern Offshore Ltd., from 2010 until mid-2017. Prior to this he served as Vice-President, Eastern Hemisphere Operations for Pride International, responsible for the deep water, shallow water and land operations in 18 countries. Before joining Pride, Mr. Casswell worked for Sante Fe International for more than 20 years and held a variety of increasingly responsible positions, including development of Santa Fe's deep-water strategy. Mr. Casswell has served with the IADC and received the IADC Exemplary Service award in 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Long Beach.
James Ayers has served as Director and Secretary of the Company since February 2019. Mr. Ayers has been the CEO of Front Ocean Management Ltd since 2021 and was previously the Head of Corporate Administration at Frontline Ltd., where he served from 2018. Over the past decade, Mr. Ayers has held various director, company officer and management positions across the maritime and offshore energy sectors. Mr. Ayers has served on the board of directors of Paratus Energy Services Ltd. since 2019 and Golden Ocean Group Limited since March 2025. Before relocating to Bermuda in 2015, when he joined Appleby law firm's corporate services division, Mr. Ayers held management and corporate secretary positions within the finance sector in the UK. Mr. Ayers holds a Master's degree in International Business and Commercial Law (LLM), a Bachelor's degree in Law (LLB) and a professional qualification in Legal Practice (LPC).
Sven Børre Larsen has been a Director of the Company since May 2023. He served as CFO of TGS from 2015 until 2019, when he assumed the position of Head of Strategy and M&A. He again took on the CFO role in August 2021. Before joining TGS in 2015, Mr. Larsen was CFO of Prosafe, the world's leading owner and operator of semisubmersible accommodation vessels for the offshore oil and gas industry. He was also CFO of Prosafe Production, one of the world's leading FPSO contractors. Mr. Larsen holds an M.S. degree in business specializing in finance from Bodo Graduate School of Business in Norway.
Mikhael Botbol has served as a Director of the Company since May 2023. He is a senior advisor to Hayfin Capital, prior to this he was a senior partner and Portfolio Manager for Private Credit, responsible for the firm's special opportunities investment activities for Hayfin. Before joining Hayfin, Mr. Botbol spent five years as Portfolio Manager at MB Asset Management, a European credit fund he founded. Prior to this, he spent four years at Brevan Horward Asset Management as Portfolio Manager for high-yield and distressed assets in Europe and emerging markets. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Botbol was Head of European Credit at HBK Capital Management with a focus on high-yield and distressed debt, and previously worked for both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Botbol holds a BA in Mathematics from University of Paris VI, an MSc from UCLA, and an MBA from INSEAD. He is an Israeli citizen and resides in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Jan Erik Klepsland has served as a Director in the Company since May 2023. Mr. Klepsland works as an Investment Director in Seatankers Management Norway AS and CEO of ST Energy Transition I Ltd. He is also a director in Archer Limited and Noram Drilling. He holds a MSc in Finance from Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). Prior to joining Seatankers, he held the position as Partner at ABG Sundal Collier and prior to that held positions in Nordea. Mr. Klepsland is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
At the Meeting, the Board will ask the shareholders to approve the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers of Oslo, Norway, as the Company's independent auditors and to authorise the Board of Directors to determine the auditors' remuneration.
Audit services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers in fiscal year 2023 included the examination of the consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All services rendered by the independent auditors are subject to pre-approval and reviewed by the Company and the Board of Directors.
At the Meeting, the Board will ask shareholders to approve the remuneration of the Company's Board of Directors of a total amount of fees not to exceed US\$400,000 for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Management knows of no business that will be presented for consideration at the Annual General Meeting other than that stated in the Notice of Annual General Meeting.
By Order of the Board of Directors
James Ayers Secretary
Hamilton, Bermuda
I/We …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (NAME IN BLOCK CAPITALS)
Of ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
being (a) holder(s) of ………………………………… Ordinary Shares of \$1.00 each of the above-named Company on the record date of 7 April 2025, hereby appoint the duly appointed Chairman of the meeting or ………………………………………………………….. to act as my/our proxy at the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on 8 May 2025, or at any adjournment thereof, and to vote on my/our behalf as directed below.
Please indicate with an X in the spaces provided how you wish your vote(s) to be cast on a poll. Should this card be returned duly signed, but without a specific direction, the proxy will vote for all Proposals.
| Proposals | Against | Abstain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. To set the maximum number of Directors to be not more than eight. | |||
| 2. To resolve that vacancies in the number of directors be designated casual vacancies and that the Board of Directors be authorised to fill such casual vacancies as and when it deems fit. |
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| 3. To re-elect Gary W. Casswell as a Director of the Company. | |||
| 4. To re-elect James Ayers as a Director of the Company. | |||
| 5. To re-elect Sven Børre Larsen as a Director of the Company. | |||
| 6. To re-elect Mikhael Botbol as a Director of the Company. | |||
| 5. as a Director of the Company 7. To re-elect Jan Erik Klepsland as a Director of Company |
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| 8. To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers of Oslo, Norway as auditors and to authorize the Directors to determine their remuneration. |
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| 9. To approve remuneration of the Company's Board of Directors of a total amount of fees not to exceed US\$400,000 for the year ended 31 December 2025. |
Date ……………………………….. Signature ………………………………………………
Holders of Shares registered in the VPS should return their Proxy Forms to: DNB Bank ASA, Registrars Dept. P.O. Box 1600 Sentrum 0021 Oslo Norway Or via e-mail to: [email protected]
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