Festive dishes lift seafarers’ spirits
(Posted on 13/12/21)
Festive and celebratory dishes can lift the spirits of crew members who are spending more time away from family amid the crew change challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.
Christian Ioannou, Managing Director of MCTC, believes meals prepared for special events such as religious and cultural festivals, birthdays or anniversaries give mariners “celebrating” at sea something to look forward to – particularly for those who might have grown a bit tired of the ship’s standard dishes.
“The life of a seafarer can be lonely, especially when friends and loved ones back home are celebrating a cultural event or national holiday,” said Mr. Ioannou, whose company, MCTC, is an international catering management specialist.
“It’s important to bring a taste of home to them, by serving meals they would typically eat when celebrating Diwali, Christmas, Independence Day (Philippines) or Islamic Eid, for example, with their relatives.”
Mr. Ioannou believes the benefits of this approach was reflected in the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report, which shows an increase to 6.59 out of 10 for Q3 of 2021 compared to 5.99 in the previous quarter.
When feeling more upbeat, mariners tend to find more issues with smaller items such as food. Conversely, they harbour fewer concerns about the quality of dishes if challenged by other aspects of being at sea.
“When everything else is suffering, it seems that meals are a literal and figurative crumb of comfort,” the report said.
Seafarers unhappy with their meals pointed to feeding rates, the standard of catering and the dearth of good quality ingredients, the report revealed.
While making seafarers feel more at home, specially prepared dishes can also help them learn about and embrace other cultures.
“You have people from different countries and cultural backgrounds working and living with each other for months on end,” Mr Ioannou said. “At some point, most, if not all of them, will feel homesick. Encouraging crew who yearn for home to communicate and socialise with their colleagues is one way to help improve their outlook.”
Eating meals is a communal activity that brings people together, so serving dishes onboard for special occasions not only gets seafarers talking, but also inspires them to learn about each other’s cultural and religious background.
MCTC helps make this happen by training onboard cooks to make national dishes featuring, among others, Chinese, European, Filipino, Indian/Sri Lankan, Indonesian and Korean cuisine. This allows the cooks to provide special meals for crew members at their employers’ request.
Latest News
AtoB@C Shipping takes delivery of Fleximar
(Posted on 23/12/25)AtoB@C Shipping, a subsidiary of ESL Shipping, has announced the successful delivery of Fleximar, the... Read more
Western Bulk re-enters ship ownership with selected partners
(Posted on 18/12/25)Western Bulk, together with reputable Norwegian partners A/S J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi, Premium Maritime... Read more
Pacific Basin announces formation of a Sustainable Energy Solutions team
(Posted on 18/12/25)Pacific Basin Shipping Limited, one of the world’s leading dry bulk shipping companies, has announced... Read more
Columbia expects significant growth as more owners shift operations to the UAE
(Posted on 09/12/25)Columbia Group anticipates a period of strong expansion as an increasing number of international shipowners... Read more
Norse Ship Management emerges as digital leader among new-generation ship managers
(Posted on 09/12/25)Norse?Ship Management has expanded its use of Smart Ship Hub’s high frequency sensor data and... Read more
Maritime health experts welcome STCW amendments, but urge against checkbox compliance
(Posted on 09/12/25)As the maritime industry gears up to welcome the IMO’s STCW bullying and harassment training amendments... Read more
NORDEN acquires Southern African cargo activities of Taylor Maritime
(Posted on 02/12/25)NORDEN has acquired the cargo activities of Taylor Maritime in Southern Africa (previously operated... Read more
IMO delay could spark fragmentation risks, warns EmissionLink
(Posted on 02/12/25)Philippos Ioulianou, Managing Director of EmissionLink, has warned the IMO’s decision to delay... Read more
VIKAND highlights bullying and harassment as major mental health concern
(Posted on 02/12/25)VIKAND has highlighted the need for cultural change in the maritime sector as reports of bullying, harassment... Read more
DNV and WMMF guide to support shipowners' path to net-zero
(Posted on 24/11/25)The maritime industry is experiencing a period of significant transformation, driven by rapidly evolving... Read more
