What Sealift does

Sealift operates half a dozen U.S. Flag, ocean-going ships, and charters dozens of foreign flag vessels annually. They are one of the largest ocean transportation contractors for U.S. government food aid cargoes. They are dedicated to providing their employees with a safe and healthy workplace and avoiding damage to the marine environment and company property. They are committed to delivering the highest level of quality service as is indicated by the continued satisfaction of their customers.

Name

Sealift

Legal name

Sealift Inc.

Website

http://sealiftinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sealift is a shipbrokerage house that specializes in paper, rice, general cargo, and operating breakbulk liner services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oyster Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vessel Operations & Chartering: Operating half a dozen U.S. Flag, ocean-going ships and chartering in dozens of foreign flag vessels annually. Revenue comes from providing ocean transportation services, including U.S. Government Food Aid cargoes and commercial charter contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sealift operates a fleet of approximately six U.S. Flag ocean-going ships and annually charters in dozens of foreign flag vessels to provide ocean transportation services. Its core services include U.S. Government Food Aid cargo transportation under PL480 programs, commercial charter services, and breakbulk liner services for paper, rice, and general cargo, with all chartering, engineering, crewing, IT, and accounting handled from its Oyster Bay, New York office.

Product overview

Sealift Inc. is a privately held shipping company that operates a fleet of U.S. Flag and foreign-flag ocean-going vessels for cargo transportation. The company specializes in breakbulk liner services, government food aid cargoes (PL480 programs), and maritime transportation. The core offering consists of vessel ownership and chartering services, with the current active fleet including six named vessels: SSG Edward A Carter, Captain David I Lyon (1730 TEU container vessel), Maj Bernard F Fisher, Maj Richard Winters, LTC John U.D. Page, and Sagamore. Operations are managed from the Oyster Bay, New York office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• U.S. Government Food Aid Cargo Transportation (PL480) Ocean transportation of U.S. Government Food Aid cargoes under PL480 programs; Sealift positions itself as one of the largest non-US-flag ocean transportation contractors for these humanitarian shipments, using its own U.S. Flag vessels and chartered foreign flag tonnage.
• Commercial Vessel Chartering Services Chartering services for commercial clients, including timecharters and spot market arrangements for cargoes such as rice, paper, and general cargo. Customers include major liner operators such as MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), and vessels such as BLACK EAGLE have operated under worldwide liner service for MSC charters.
• Breakbulk Liner Services Original specialty of Sealift Inc., providing breakbulk liner services for paper, rice, and general cargo to destinations including the Mediterranean and Brazil.
• Foreign Flag Vessel Chartering Services Annual chartering in of dozens of foreign flag vessels to supplement Sealift's own U.S. Flag fleet and meet contract demand for ocean transportation services.
• Disaster Relief Vessel Chartering (FEMA) Post-hurricane relief charter to FEMA in Puerto Rico for personnel accommodation, demonstrating Sealift's capability to mobilize vessels for emergency government response logistics.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Central Gulf Lines: U.S.-based breakbulk and government cargo ocean carrier, with historical exposure to PL480 and military sealift work. Closest direct peer to Sealift in niche, customer base, and vessel type.
• Liberty Maritime Corporation: U.S. Flag bulk and breakbulk operator serving government and commercial customers. Comparable vessel type, U.S. Flag positioning, and government contracting model.
• American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC): U.S. Flag vessel operator focused on government and military cargo under MSP and other preference programs. Comparable in U.S. Flag government contracting model, though ARC focuses more on ro-ro than breakbulk.
• Waterman Steamship Corporation: Historic U.S. Flag ocean carrier providing breakbulk and project cargo services for government and commercial customers. Long-standing U.S. Flag operator with similar customer profile to Sealift.
• TOTE Maritime: U.S. Flag ocean carrier providing domestic and government services, including Jones Act trades and government cargo. Comparable U.S. Flag regulatory positioning and government/military customer mix.
• Matson Navigation Company: U.S. Flag ocean carrier operating container and ro-ro vessels in the Pacific, with government and commercial customers. Similar U.S. Flag credentials, though significantly larger and Pacific-focused.

Broad incumbents

• Crowley Maritime Corporation: Large, diversified U.S.-based maritime and logistics provider with government services, vessel operations, and energy logistics. Overlaps Sealift's U.S. Flag/government work but operates at much greater scale and breadth.
• Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC): World's largest container carrier and a Sealift customer (timecharter of FISHER). Indirect peer through liner chartering relationships and overlapping government/commercial cargo types.
• Hapag-Lloyd: Major global container liner. Comparable to Sealift's container-capable tonnage (LYON) and competes for the same commercial liner chartering opportunities Sealift sources foreign flag tonnage for.
• A.P. Moller-Maersk: Largest global container carrier with integrated logistics. Sets charter rate benchmarks that affect Sealift's foreign flag chartering economics and competes in many of the same deep-sea trade lanes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100069863515599
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sealift-holdings-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sealift