SFL Corp Ltd.
SFL Corporation Ltd. is a Bermuda-based maritime shipping company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Its business centers on owning and operating a diversified fleet of tanker vessels, bulkers, container vessels, car carriers, and offshore drilling rigs, generally employed through long-term charters.
Fiscal year 2025 · change from previous year
Development 2020–2025
Business
Share of revenueCrude and product tanker vessels employed under charter contracts for maritime cargo transport.
Dry bulk carriers used to transport commodities such as ores, grains, and other bulk cargoes.
Ships chartered to move containerized cargo on international trade routes.
Vessels designed to transport finished vehicles for automotive logistics customers.
Rigs and related offshore assets contracted to energy industry counterparties.
Customers
SFL's customers are mainly charterers in global shipping and offshore energy markets. These include oil and product traders, commodity shippers, liner operators, vehicle logistics providers, and offshore drilling counterparties that need vessel or rig capacity under contract. The long-term charter model makes customer credit quality and contract duration central to the business. Because the fleet serves worldwide trade, customers are tied to international freight flows and energy activity rather than a single domestic market.
Companies that charter tanker vessels for transporting crude oil, refined products, and related liquid cargoes.
Mining, agriculture, and trading customers that use bulker vessels for ore, grain, and other bulk cargoes.
Line operators that charter container vessels to supplement fleet capacity on trade routes.
Vehicle transport customers that use car carriers to move finished vehicles internationally.
Counterparties in offshore drilling and related energy services that contract rigs for exploration and production work.
Strategy
SFL's strategy is built around a diversified asset base and long-term charter coverage that supports distribution capacity over time. The company also grows through vessel acquisitions, fleet renewal, and selective asset sales, which helps it manage fleet mix and redeploy capital. Diversification across tanker, bulk, container, car carrier, and offshore assets reduces reliance on any single shipping market. Long-duration charter contracts are central to the model because they improve visibility of future cash generation and customer commitment.
Contracted employment reduces exposure to spot freight volatility and supports predictable asset utilization.
A mix of tanker, bulk, container, car carrier, and offshore assets lowers dependence on one shipping cycle.
Asset sales and fleet changes help refresh the portfolio and align capital with preferred charter opportunities.
Geography
SFL is organized in Bermuda and operates its fleet on a worldwide basis, with vessel employment tied to international shipping lanes and offshore energy markets. Management states that the company does not evaluate performance by geography because the fleet and charter profile are global. That worldwide footprint exposes the business to trade flows, port rules, sanctions, and geopolitical developments across several shipping regions. The company is listed in the United States, but its operating assets and customer base are international.
Risks
SFL's main risks come from shipping-cycle exposure, counterparty credit, and asset valuation in a volatile maritime market. Because the fleet is deployed globally, the company is also exposed to sanctions, port fees, trade policy changes, and geopolitical conflict that can affect vessel utilization and charter economics. Offshore drilling assets add energy-market and contract-renewal risk, while vessel values can move sharply with freight conditions and secondhand asset prices.
- Freight market cyclicalityImpact: HighLikelihood: High
Shipping demand and charter economics can change quickly with global trade volumes and fleet supply.
Exposure - Geopolitical and trade-policy disruptionImpact: HighLikelihood: High
Sanctions, tariffs, port fees, and regional conflict can alter trade patterns and operating costs.
Exposure: Global fleet operations
- Counterparty and charter renewal riskImpact: HighLikelihood: Medium
The long-term charter model depends on customers honoring contracts and renewing capacity when leases expire.
Exposure: Long-term vessel and rig charters
- Asset valuation volatilityImpact: HighLikelihood: Medium
Vessel and rig fair values can decline if shipping or offshore markets weaken.
Exposure
Accounting
Judgemental itemsManagement must estimate fair value and impairment for ships, rigs, and equipment in a volatile market.
Impact: Can materially affect asset values and earnings
The company uses financial instruments whose mark-to-market changes flow through income or other comprehensive income.
Impact: Can move non-operating results quarter to quarter
Disposals of vessels create one-time gains or losses that can distort underlying operating trends.
Impact: Affects comparability of reported profit
Contract structure and vessel delivery timing influence when revenue is recognized.
Impact: Can create seasonal or quarter-to-quarter variation
Similar listed companies
Publicly listed companies with a comparable business focus.
Flex LNG Ltd.
FLNG · Water Transportation
Teekay Tankers Ltd
TNK · Water Transportation
Golar LNG Limited
GLNG · Water Transportation
Global Ship Lease, Inc.
GSL · Deep Sea Foreign Transportation of Freight
Safe Bulkers, Inc
SB · Deep Sea Foreign Transportation of Freight
Star Bulk Carriers Corp.
SBLK · Deep Sea Foreign Transportation of Freight
Last updated: 28/09/2026