DIANA SHIPPING INC.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

February 23, 2016

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the Annual Meeting of the holders of shares of common stock (the "Shareholders") of Diana Shipping Inc. (the "Company") will be held on February 23, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. local time at Amathus Beach Hotel, 75 Amathounta Avenue, 4532 Limassol, Cyprus (the "Meeting") for the following purposes, of which items 1 and 2 are more completely set forth in the accompanying Proxy Statement:

1.

To elect three Class II Directors to serve until the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders;

2.

To approve the appointment of Ernst & Young (Hellas) Certified Auditors Accountants S.A. as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016; and

3.

To transact other such business as may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.

The board of directors has fixed the close of business on January 4, 2016 as the record date for the determination of the Shareholders entitled to receive notice and to vote at the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO VOTE. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE, WHICH DOES NOT REQUIRE POSTAGE IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES. THE VOTE OF EVERY SHAREHOLDER IS IMPORTANT AND YOUR COOPERATION IN RETURNING YOUR EXECUTED PROXY PROMPTLY WILL BE APPRECIATED. ANY SIGNED PROXY RETURNED AND NOT COMPLETED WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF ALL THE PROPOSALS PRESENTED IN THE PROXY STATEMENT.

All shareholders must present a form of personal photo identification in order to be admitted to the Meeting. In addition, if your shares are held in the name of your broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to attend the Meeting, you must bring an account statement or letter from the broker, bank or other nominee indicating that you were the owner of the shares on January 4, 2016.

If you attend the Meeting, you may revoke your proxy and vote in person.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ioannis G. Zafirakis

Secretary

January 14, 2016
Athens, Greece

 

 

DIANA SHIPPING INC.

16 PENDELIS STR.

175 64 PALAIO FALIRO

ATHENS GREECE

______________________

PROXY STATEMENT FOR

ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 23, 2016

________________________

INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING

The enclosed proxy is solicited on behalf of the board of directors (the "Board") of Diana Shipping Inc., a Marshall Islands corporation (the "Company"), for use at the Annual Meeting of holders of shares of common stock of the Company (the "Shareholders") to be held at Amathus Beach Hotel, 75 Amathounta Avenue, 4532 Limassol, Cyprus on February 23, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. local time in Limassol, or at any adjournment or postponement thereof (the "Meeting"), for the purposes set forth herein and in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders. This Proxy Statement and the accompanying form of proxy are expected to be mailed to the Shareholders of the Company entitled to vote at the Meeting on or about January 14, 2016.

On January 4, 2016 (the "Record Date"), the Company had outstanding 82,546,017 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Common Shares"). Each Shareholder of record at the close of business on the Record Date is entitled to one vote for each Common Share then held. One or more Shareholders representing at least 33 1/3 per cent of the total voting rights of the Company present in person or by proxy at the Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of the Meeting. The Common Shares represented by any proxy in the enclosed form will be voted in accordance with the instructions given on the proxy if the proxy is properly executed and is received by the Company prior to the close of voting at the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. Any proxies returned without instructions will be voted FOR the proposals set forth on the Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") under the symbol "DSX."

A Shareholder giving a proxy may revoke it at any time before it is exercised. A proxy may be revoked by filing with the Secretary of the Company at the Company's registered office, 16 Pendelis Str., 175 64 Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece, a written notice of revocation by a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, or by attending the Meeting and voting in person.

PROPOSAL ONE

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Company currently has nine directors divided into three classes. As provided in the Company's Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, each director is elected to serve for a three‑year term and until such director's successor is elected and has qualified. Accordingly, the Board has nominated William (Bill) Lawes, Konstantinos Psaltis and Kyriacos Riris, each a Class II Director, for re-election as directors whose term would expire at the 2019 annual meeting.

Unless the proxy is marked to indicate that such authorization is expressly withheld, the persons named in the enclosed proxy intend to vote the shares authorized thereby FOR the election of the following three nominees. It is expected that each of these nominees will be able to serve, but if before the election it develops that any of the nominees is unavailable, the persons named in the accompanying proxy will vote for the election of such substitute nominee or nominees as the current Board may recommend.

Nominees for Election to the Company's Board

Information concerning the nominees for directors of the Company is set forth below:

William (Bill) Lawes has served as a Director of the Company and the Chairman of our Audit Committee since March 2005. Mr. Lawes served as a Managing Director and a member of the Regional Senior Management Board of JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor banks from 1987 until 2002. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, he was Global Head of Shipping Finance at Grindlays Bank. Since December 2007, Mr. Lawes has served as an independent member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Teekay Tankers Ltd. In January 2014, Mr. Lawes also joined the board as Chairman of the Audit Committee of Tanker Investments Ltd. Mr. Lawes is qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Konstantinos Psaltis has served as a Director of the Company since March 2005 and as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee since May 2015. From 1981 to 2006, Mr. Psaltis served as Managing Director of Ormos Compania Naviera S.A., a company that specializes in operating and managing multipurpose container vessels, and since 2006 has served as President of the same company. Prior to joining Ormos Compania Naviera S.A., Mr. Psaltis simultaneously served as a technical manager in the textile manufacturing industry and as a shareholder of shipping companies managed by M.J. Lemos. From 1961 to 1964, he served as ensign in the Royal Hellenic Navy. Mr. Psaltis is a member of the Germanischer Lloyds Hellas Committee. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Technische Hochschule Reutlingen & Wuppertal and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Tubingen University in Germany.

Kyriacos Riris has served as a Director of the Company since March 2015 and as a member of the Nominating Committee since May 2015. Beginning in 1998, Mr. Riris served in a series of positions in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Greece, including Senior Partner and Managing Partner of the Audit and the Advisory/Consulting Lines of Service. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Riris served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Greece. Prior to its merger with PwC, Mr. Riris was employed at Grant Thornton, Greece, where in 1984 he became a Partner. From 1976 to 1982, Mr. Riris was employed at Arthur Young, Greece. Mr. Riris holds a degree from Birmingham Polytechnic (presently Birmingham City University) and completed his professional qualifications with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) in the UK in 1975, becoming a Fellow of the Association of Certified Accountants in 1985.

Audit Committee. The Company's Board has established an Audit Committee, comprised of two members, which is responsible for reviewing the Company's accounting controls, recommending to the Board the engagement of the Company's outside auditors, and pre-approving audit and audit-related services and fees. Each member is an independent director. The members of the Audit Committee are Mr. William (Bill) Lawes (Chairman and financial expert) and Mr. Apostolos Kontoyannis (member and financial expert). As the Company is a foreign private issuer, it is exempt from the corporate governance rules of the NYSE, other than the Audit Committee requirement.

Required Vote. Adoption of Proposal One requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Meeting, either in person or by proxy.

Effect of abstentions. Abstentions will not affect the vote on Proposal One.

THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED DIRECTORS. UNLESS REVOKED AS PROVIDED ABOVE, PROXIES RECEIVED BY MANAGEMENT WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED DIRECTORS UNLESS A CONTRARY VOTE IS SPECIFIED.

PROPOSAL TWO

APPROVAL OF APPOINTMENT OF

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The Board is submitting for approval at the Meeting the selection of Ernst & Young (Hellas) Certified Auditors Accountants S.A. as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

Ernst & Young (Hellas) Certified Auditors Accountants S.A. has advised the Company that the firm does not have any direct or indirect financial interest in the Company, nor has such firm had any such interest in connection with the Company during the past three fiscal years other than in its capacity as the Company's independent auditors.

All services rendered by the independent auditors are subject to review by the Audit Committee.

Required Vote. Adoption of Proposal Two requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Meeting, either in person or by proxy.

Effect of abstentions. Abstentions will not affect the vote on Proposal Two.

THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR APPROVAL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG (HELLAS) CERTIFIED AUDITORS ACCOUNTANTS S.A. AS THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS OF THE COMPANY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2016. UNLESS REVOKED AS PROVIDED ABOVE, PROXIES RECEIVED BY MANAGEMENT WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF SUCH APPROVAL UNLESS A CONTRARY VOTE IS SPECIFIED.

The cost of preparing and soliciting proxies will be borne by the Company. Solicitation will be made primarily by mail, but Shareholders may be solicited by telephone, e-mail, or personal contact.

OTHER MATTERS

No other matters are expected to be presented for action at the Meeting. Should any additional matter come before the Meeting, it is intended that proxies in the accompanying form will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the person or persons named in the proxy.

By Order of the Directors

Ioannis G. Zafirakis

Secretary

January 14, 2016

Athens, Greece