To:The Supreme Court of Korea

INTERTANKO

May 13th, 2009

To:The Supreme Court of Korea

Re:Master and Chief Officer of Hebei Spirit

Dear Sirs,

We write to you as Members of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO). We, the undersigned, represent our respective companies on the Executive Committee and Council of INTERTANKO, currently meeting in Tokyo for our Annual Meetings.

The criminalisation of seafarers continues to be high on the agenda of these meetings as it has the potential to devastate our current efforts to recruit and retain high quality seafarers to our companies and to the shipping industry as a whole. We have therefore followed the case of the Hebei Spirit very closely, in particular with respect to the criminal charges brought against the Master and Chief Officer. Both are employees of an INTERTANKO Member. The owning company of the ship is also an INTERTANKO Member.

We are pleased to see that the Supreme Court has reversed the Appeal Court’s decision to imprison these two officers in respect of the charges brought for destruction of the Hebei Spirit, albeit disappointed to note that the decision regarding the pollution fines has been upheld.We understand that your Honourable Court has now remanded the criminal case, in part, to the lower court.

INTERTANKO has previously written to you to ask that pending that process, the Master and Chief Officer of Hebei Spirit be permitted to leave Korea and return to their families. We continue to support that petition, both collectively and individually. Capt Chawla and Chief Officer Syam have already been detained in Korea for 16 months, in addition to having spent a period imprisoned for charges which have now been judged unfounded. Such action would therefore come as some comfort to those in the international shipping industry who have started to express concern about the treatment by Korea of innocent men, and who desire to protect their employees from similar criminalisation and detention.

Should your Honourable Court feel unable to grant even a short reprieve to allow the Master and Chief Officer to see their families in India before participating in the lower court proceedings in Koreawe hope thatyour Honourable Court will expedite the remand hearing to allow them both to leave Korea and return home at the earliest opportunity.

Sincerely,

Name Company