UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO
RULE 13A-16 OR 15D-16 UNDER THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of December 2018

Commission File Number:  000-29106

GOLDEN OCEAN GROUP LTD.
(Translation of registrant's name into English)

Par-la-Ville Place
14 Par-la-Ville Road,
Hamilton, HM 08, Bermuda
(Address of principal executive offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F [ X ]     Form 40-F [   ]

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ________.

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ________.

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrant's "home country"), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrant's securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrant's security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.



INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS FORM 6-K REPORT
Attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 is a press release of Golden Ocean Group Ltd. (the "Company") dated December 20, 2018.

The information contained in this Report on Form 6-K is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company's Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-219715) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with an effective date of August 14, 2017.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 
GOLDEN OCEAN GROUP LTD.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  /s/ Per Heiberg
Date: December 21, 2018
Name:  Per Heiberg
 
Title:    Principal Financial Officer



Exhibit 99.1

GOGL – Share buy-back program

The Board of Directors of Golden Ocean Group Limited (the "Company") has on December 19 2018 authorized a share buy-back program to purchase up to an aggregate of 6 million of the Company's common shares. The maximum amount to be paid per share is USD 9 or equivalent in NOK if bought at Oslo Stock Exchange. The timing and amount of any repurchases will depend on legal requirements, market conditions, stock price, alternative uses of capital and other factors.
The Company is not obligated under the terms of the program to repurchase any of its common shares. The buy-back program will be initiated today and end on December 20, 2019.
December 20, 2018
The Board of Directors
Golden Ocean Group Limited
Hamilton, Bermuda
For further information, please contact:
Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal: CEO, Golden Ocean Management AS
+47 22 01 73 53
Per Heiberg: CFO, Golden Ocean Management AS
+47 22 01 73 45
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, which 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. Words such as "believe", "anticipate", "intends", "estimate", "forecast", "project", "plan", "potential", "may", "will", "should", "expect", "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions.  Although we believe 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 our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.
In addition to these important factors and matters discussed elsewhere herein, important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies, fluctuations in currencies and interest rates, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter hire rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the dry bulk market, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our  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, political events or acts by terrorists, and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements of section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.