NEW YORK, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth

fund, one of Air Products and Chemicals' ( APD ) 10 biggest

investors, said it will vote for all four of activist investor

Mantle Ridge's director candidates to join the industrial gases

company's board.

Norges Bank Investment Management said on its website that

it will back all dissident nominees and vote against four of Air

Products' board members, including chief executive Seifi Ghasemi

and lead director Edward Monser at the Jan. 23 annual meeting.

It did not offer an explanation for its decision.

The investor owned a 1.55% stake in Air Products at the end

of June, according to LSEG data.