MCTC founder and CEO Christian Ioannou spoke to TradeWinds at SMM Hamburg 2026 about crew well-being at sea: why it is an issue to be solved rather than a trend, and what it takes to deliver good food and real support to seafarers on around 1,600 ships.
Watch the interview
Interview by TradeWinds, recorded at SMM Hamburg 2026. Sponsored content. English subtitles are available on YouTube.
Crew well-being: an issue, not a trend
Fourteen years ago, visiting ships as a trained chef, Christian saw that the cooks were the one department on board with nobody ashore to talk to. That gap became the starting point for MCTC in 2013, and it still shapes how the company works today: catering teams need guidance, coaching and someone who understands life in the galley, not only operational oversight.
Technology with human communication first
In the interview, Christian explains how digital platforms and nutrition data help crews and ship managers make better decisions, while human communication remains the priority. Technology supports the relationship with the cook; it does not replace it.
Body, mind and soul: the MyBalance programme
Physical and mental health go together at sea. Through MyBalance, MCTC’s crew well-being programme, seafarers and their families receive support for body, mind and soul. Alongside it, MCTC runs nutrition guidance, fitness challenges, webinars and distance coaching for crews.
A taste of home: national and signature dishes
Homesickness is one of the quiet challenges of life on board. Menus by nationality and signature dishes give multinational crews a familiar taste of home and a reason to come together at the table.
Good food within a budget, at scale
Christian also discusses how good food is delivered within a budget across around 1,600 ships and around 40 million meals a year, supported by budget and price analytics.
Interview chapters
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:24 Crew well-being is an issue, not a trend
- 02:28 Technology, digital platforms and nutrition data
- 05:27 Physical and mental health: MyBalance
- 07:25 Homesickness, national and signature dishes
- 09:04 Budgets, 1,600 ships and 40 million meals
- 10:54 Building the service since 2013
- 13:01 Close
Read more: Christian Ioannou on the Future of Crew Wellbeing & Catering at Sea, his interview with Maritime Economies.
About MCTC
MCTC (Marine Catering Training Consultancy) was founded in 2013 in Limassol, Cyprus. It provides catering management, training of cooks, menus by nationality, nutrition, distance coaching, fitness challenges, webinars, signature dishes, budget and price analytics, and well-being support for crew and their families. MyBalance is MCTC’s crew well-being brand. Creating a home at sea, a meal at a time.
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