NewLead Holdings Ltd. Announces Proposed Private Offering
of $120 million Senior Secured Bonds Due 2016

PIRAEUS, Greece, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/

NewLead Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: NEWL) ("NewLead" or the "Company"), an international, vertically integrated mixed fleet shipping company, today announced it intends to issue approximately $120 million of senior secured bonds due 2016 (the "Bonds") in the Norwegian bond market. The Bonds are expected to be secured by four of the Company's vessels and guaranteed by the subsidiaries of the Company that own such vessels. The net proceeds from the offering will be used to finance certain vessel purchase commitments, to refinance the debt of certain vessels, and for general corporate purposes. A portion of the Bonds may be offered in the United States to qualified institutional buyers (or QIBs) as defined in Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act) concurrently with bonds offered outside of the United States pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act.

The Bonds and related guarantees have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the benefit of U.S. persons unless so registered except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable securities laws in other jurisdictions. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Bonds or any other securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of any Bonds or other securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offer of the Bonds will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum. This press release is being issued pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135c under the Securities Act.

About NewLead Holdings Ltd.
NewLead Holdings Ltd. is an international, vertically integrated shipping company that owns and manages product tankers and dry bulk vessels. NewLead currently controls 22 vessels, including six double-hull product tankers and 16 dry bulk vessels of which four are newbuildings. NewLead's common shares are traded under the symbol "NEWL" on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. To learn more about NewLead Holdings Ltd., please visit the new website at www.newleadholdings.com.

Source: NewLead Holdings Ltd. press release