NewLead Holdings Ltd. Announces 1-for-50 Reverse Split
of Common Shares and Hearing Date

Piraeus, Greece, July 14, 2014 / PRNewswire

NewLead Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: NEWL) ("NewLead" or the "Company") today announced that a 1-for-50 reverse stock split of its common shares has been approved by the Company's Board of Directors and by written consent of a majority of NewLead's shareholders, in order for the Company to achieve compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share for continued listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market ("NASDAQ"). The reverse split will be effective upon the commencement of trading tomorrow, July 15, 2014.

As previously announced, NewLead timely requested a hearing before the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel to present a plan to regain compliance and address the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Staff concerns. The hearing has been scheduled for July 24, 2014 and a decision is expected within 30 days following the hearing.

The reverse split will consolidate every fifty common shares into one common share, par value of $0.50 per share. As a result of the reverse stock split, the number of common shares outstanding will be reduced from 325 million outstanding as of July 14, 2014, to approximately 6.5 million shares, subject to rounding up of all fractional shares to the nearest whole share. In respect to the underlying common shares associated with any derivative securities, such as warrants, options and convertible notes, the conversion and exercise prices and number of common shares issuable will be adjusted in accordance with the 1:50 ratio. The number of authorized common shares and preferred shares of NewLead will be 100,000,000 and 500,000,000, par value of $0.01, respectively.

NewLead's transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC ("VStock"), will also act as exchange agent for the reverse stock split. After the reverse split takes effect, shareholders will receive information from VStock regarding the process for exchanging their common shares. VStock will notify shareholders of record that hold physical certificates as of the effective time to transmit outstanding share certificates, and, unless requested, will subsequently issue new book entry statements of holding representing one post-split common share for every fifty common shares held of record as of the effective time. Shareholders that currently hold common shares in book entry form will receive updated statements of holding reflecting the reverse split and need not take any action.

About NewLead Holdings Ltd.
NewLead Holdings Ltd. is an international, vertically integrated shipping, logistics and commodity company. NewLead owns three dry bulk vessels, one Handysize vessel and two Panamax vessels and manages three third party tanker vessels, two small bitumen tanker vessels and one Handysize MR product tanker. The Company took delivery of one of the three modern eco-type dry bulk Handysize vessels, the Newlead Albion on May 19, 2014 and expects to take delivery of the other two, one of which is newbuilding, between July and August 2014. The Company has also signed a term sheet for 75% financing to acquire two dry bulk Panamax vessels. Upon completion of the above acquisitions and together with the vessels under management. NewLead is expected to have a fleet of ten vessels, seven owned and three vessels under management. Furthermore, the Company owns a wash plant and a mine in Kentucky, USA and has been granted access to develop and mine another mine, that includes a CSX rail load facility, the Andy Rail Terminal, in Kentucky, USA. 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.

NewLead Holdings Ltd. press release