Star Bulk Carriers Corp. Announces Reverse Stock Split to Be Effective October 15, 2012

ATHENS, GREECE--(Marketwire - Oct 12, 2012) - Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the "Company" or "Star Bulk") (NASDAQ: SBLK), a global shipping company focusing on transportation of dry bulk cargoes, announced today that its Board of Directors has determined to effect a 1-for-15 reverse stock split of the Company's common shares. The Company's shareholders approved the reverse stock split and granted the Board the authority to determine the exact split ratio and proceed with the reverse stock split at the Company's annual general meeting on September 7, 2012.

The reverse stock split will take effect, and the Company's common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, as of the opening of trading on Monday, October 15, 2012. Beginning on that date, the Company's shares will trade for 20 trading days under the symbol "SBLKD" to indicate that a reverse stock split has occurred. Thereafter, the Company's symbol will revert to its original symbol "SBLK." A new CUSIP number will be assigned to the Company's common shares when the reverse stock split becomes effective.

When the reverse stock split becomes effective, every 15 shares of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock will be automatically combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock without any change in the par value per share or the total number of authorized shares. This will reduce the number of outstanding common shares from approximately 81.0 million shares to approximately 5.4 million shares.

No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse split of the issued and outstanding common stock. Shareholders who would otherwise hold a fractional share of the Company's common stock will receive a cash payment in lieu thereof at a price equal to that fraction to which the shareholder would otherwise be entitled multiplied by the closing price of the common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market on October 12, 2012.

Shareholders with shares held in book-entry form or through a bank, broker, or other nominee are not required to take any action and will see the impact of the reverse stock split reflected in their accounts on or after October 15, 2012. Such beneficial holders may contact their bank, broker, or nominee for more information.

Shareholders with shares held in certificate form will receive instructions from the Company's exchange agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, for exchanging their stock certificates for a new certificate representing the shares of common stock resulting from the reverse split.

Additional information about the reverse stock split can be found in the Company's proxy statement furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 25, 2012, a copy of which is available on the Commission's website at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at www.starbulk.com.

About Star Bulk

Star Bulk is a global shipping company providing worldwide seaborne transportation solutions in the dry bulk sector. Star Bulk's vessels transport major bulks, which include iron ore, coal and grain and minor bulks such as bauxite, fertilizers and steel products. Star Bulk was incorporated in the Marshall Islands on December 13, 2006 and maintains executive offices in Athens, Greece. Its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "SBLK." Currently, Star Bulk's fleet consists of fourteen dry bulk carriers, consisting of six Capesize vessels and eight Supramax vessels and a combined cargo carrying capacity of 1,475,005 deadweight tons and an average age of approximately 10.6 years.

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, examination by the Company's management of historical operating trends, data contained in its records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Company's control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Company's view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Company's operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Company's vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.