NewLead Holdings Ltd. Regains Compliance with NASDAQ Minimum
Market Value of Publicly Held Shares Requirement

PIRAEUS, Greece, March 15, 2012

NewLead Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: NEWL) ("NewLead" or the "Company"), an international shipping company owning and operating tankers and dry bulk vessels, today announced that it has received notification from the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications department that it has regained compliance with the minimum Market Value of Publicly Held Shares (MVPHS) of $5,000,000 for continued listing set forth in Listing Rule 5450(b)(1)(C) as the Company's MVPHS was $5,000,000 or more for 10 consecutive business days.

On September 16, 2011, NASDAQ notified NewLead that it was not in compliance with one of its standards for continued listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market because the Company's MVPHS was below $5,000,000 for 30 consecutive business days. The Company had been granted a grace period of 180 calendar days in order to regain compliance.

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 11 vessels, of which two are double-hull product tankers and 9 are dry bulk vessels including four newbuildings and one vessel currently under construction that is scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of 2012. 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