Following the high-level discussions at Posidonia 2026, Cyprus Shipping News Managing Director Adonis Violaris sits down with Doğukan Şimşek, Deputy Country Manager of AVS Global Ship Supply, to explore the profound structural shift currently reshaping maritime procurement. Moving decisively away from purely price-driven, transactional purchasing, the Mediterranean and global markets are increasingly prioritising long-term predictability, regulatory compliance and operational reliability. In this comprehensive interview, Doğukan outlines how AVS leverages its expansive network across 1,500 ports to maintain supply chain resilience amidst ongoing geopolitical volatility. He also highlights the critical intersection of technology, sustainability and structured education, showcasing how the upcoming AI-driven AVS Customer Portal, specialized LMS training for onboard chefs, and the Ekol Maritime Training Center are collectively professionalising fleet operations and helping owners meet strict ESG and MLC 2006 crew welfare standards.

Posidonia 2026 has shown that shipowners are facing increasingly complex operational profiles. AVS Global has noted that ship supply is moving away from purely price-driven, transactional purchasing toward a model focused on predictability, compliance, and reliability. Reflecting on your discussions in Athens, how ready is the Mediterranean market to embrace this shift toward long-term strategic supply partnerships?

Greece, as one of the world’s premier maritime nations, alongside Turkey, which is a strong candidate to become one of the largest maritime nations, and countries like Egypt, Italy, and Spain, already share deeply rooted commercial histories with one another. Suppliers like us have been coordinated among themselves for years to provide provisions and stores to vessels operating under these nations’ flags, regardless of location, and they continue to work on common ground to deliver seamless services everywhere. Beyond ongoing political developments, the maritime industry is a sector that can never slow down or stop; it is constantly active and is truly the very force that moves global trade. As ship suppliers supporting this industry, we are responsible for protecting and developing long-term relationships not just in the Mediterranean, but across every corner of the globe for the ultimate continuity of world trade.

Addressing the Global Seafarer Gap through Education

You recently highlighted that resolving the global seafarer shortage requires looking beyond simple recruitment to fundamentally rethinking how the workforce is prepared. Through the Ekol Maritime Training Center, how is AVS working to bridge this gap, and what role does structured education play in ensuring next-generation mariners are equipped to handle modern vessel complexities?

Bridging the global seafarer gap is not merely about bringing new names into the industry, but rather about preparing the existing workforce in accordance with the technological realities of modern shipping. At AVS Global Ship Supply, we offer a holistic framework through the Ekol Maritime Training Center that successfully combines theoretical education with state-of-the-art simulators and practical applications. Thanks to our structured training programs, we help next-generation mariners become fully prepared for complex environments such as autonomous systems, digital equipment, and modern vessel management processes. We do not just equip our seafarers with technical skills, we also instill a global vision that encourages them to build permanent and sustainable connections within the sector. Through this strategic approach, we aim to meet the qualified personnel needs of ship operators directly while offering a long-term contribution to the global human resources challenge.

Crew Welfare, Nutrition, and Operational Retention

Onboard catering and provision management are no longer seen as secondary back-office concerns, but as critical operational factors affecting crew morale, fatigue, and retention. How is AVS helping ship managers elevate living standards and fulfil MLC 2006 compliance across multinational crews while keeping strict control over provision budgets?

Onboard catering management is one of the most strategic operational elements directly impacting crew motivation and personnel retention. At AVS Global Ship Supply, through the digital infrastructure we have established, we prepare smart provision lists organized specifically to the nationality profiles and cultural dietary needs of multinational crews, thereby ensuring full compliance with MLC 2006 standards. To support owners in maintaining budget control, we utilize a fixed victualling rate model, taking on the risks of global food inflation and price fluctuations between different ports to offer high budget predictability. On the educational side of the process, we provide a dedicated LMS (Learning Management System) infrastructure that features specialized courses aimed at reducing food waste and respecting diverse cultural values. Ship cooks can seamlessly follow these lessons via this digital platform throughout their tours of duty at sea, meaning they do not need to wait to return ashore to improve their skills. This continuous development model helps minimize food waste while successfully elevating the living standards of the crew without expanding the owners’ budgets.

Professionalising the Galley: Specialized Training for Onboard Chefs

Through your dedicated learning management systems, you provide targeted training for shipboard cooks covering menu planning, food safety, and cost control. What are the main practical challenges onboard chefs face today, and how does formalizing their training directly lead to less food waste and better resource optimization for the owner?

Today, shipboard cooks operate in a much more isolated and dynamic environment compared to their colleagues ashore, managing limited storage spaces and constantly shifting port windows. The primary practical challenges they encounter include balancing the diverse cultural culinary expectations of multinational crews, preserving ingredient freshness during long voyages, and managing limited inventory through accurate portion control. At this point, our dedicated LMS infrastructure provides cooks with the opportunity to continue their professional development during their time at sea, allowing them to access updated practical methods without the requirement of being ashore. Regular engagement with modules such as menu planning and portion control on our digital platform assists in utilizing onboard provisions more efficiently, which contributes to the optimization of food waste and loss ratios. Making correct storage and food safety techniques systematic also helps extend the shelf life of ingredients, reducing unforeseen costs for the owner and elevating resource optimization to a higher level.

Moving Digital Tools from Differentiator to Baseline Expectation

The ship supply sector is undergoing a rapid digital evolution, and AVS has stated that structured data and transparency are now baseline requirements rather than competitive advantages. How is your procurement data infrastructure helping operators streamline workflows and eliminate unexpected operational surprises at the port window?

The digital transformation journey began a long time ago for AVS Global Ship Supply, and the investments made over the years are now yielding significant results. The AVS Customer Portal, which we are preparing to introduce to our clients, will streamline, accelerate, and ease our procurement processes and demand management like never before. To give an example, by utilizing the assistance of artificial intelligence, we can evaluate the consumption habits of the vessels we have served for many years and calculate their upcoming supply needs in advance, allowing us to present our offers even before they submit their formal requests to us.

Managing Supply Chain Resiliency Amid Geopolitical Volatility

With ongoing maritime bottlenecks and vessel diversions lengthening transit times, securing timely delivery of provisions and technical stores has become a logistical puzzle. Operating across a network of over 1,500 ports, what strategies is AVS employing to maintain supply chain continuity when port schedules change at short notice?

Our global infrastructure, capable of serving in more than 126 countries and over 1,500 ports, serves as our greatest assurance against sudden port changes and logistical bottlenecks. The deeply rooted relationship of trust that we have built over many years with our local partners in numerous strategic points around the world, including high-risk regions, allows us to carry out our operations with high precision and peace of mind under all conditions. Especially in demanding areas of coordination, such as technical supply materials that need to be transported from one country to another, we strive to produce the fastest solutions by utilizing the flexibility of our global network and our strong synchronization with our solution partners. In the face of the unpredictable nature of political developments and route adjustments, we act with a firm commitment to honor the promises we make to our customers until the very last moment. In short, we view this long-standing trust with local partners, our global coordination capacity, and our operational capabilities as the most effective strategic tools to safeguard supply chain continuity during sudden schedule adjustments

Integrating AI and Sustainability in Global Procurement

As a member of the UN Global Compact, AVS actively focuses on environmental stewardship, recently exploring areas like maritime procurement AI search and sustainable onboard water solutions. How see you the role of predictive digital tools evolving over the next twelve months to help operators meet their broader ESG and waste reduction goals?

As a member of the UN Global Compact, we view sustainability not as a mere commitment on paper, but as an operational guide. In the coming period, we believe that digitalization and predictable procurement models will serve as valuable assets that provide operational convenience to fleet managers working toward their waste reduction and ESG objectives. At AVS Global Ship Supply, we take proactive steps to support this transition through our own resources. For instance, through our digital Customer Portal, which we are preparing to launch in the near future, we aim to provide transparency in order and inventory management, helping operators balance the tendency toward excess procurement. Regarding the human dimension of the process, we contribute to embedding this environmental mission onboard by offering awareness training focused on reducing food waste to seafarers via the Ekol Maritime Training Center and our digital LMS infrastructure. On the practical side, we implement sustainable onboard water filtration solutions in partnership with Aquarex to help reduce the plastic waste burden for owners. We believe that these types of digital portals, infrastructure, and educational investments are significant steps that will help ship operators keep their carbon footprint and resource waste under control in the upcoming period.

The Strategic Roadmap for the Remainder of 2026

As we move into the second half of 2026, what is the single most important piece of advice you would offer to procurement officers and fleet managers looking to future-proof their supply and catering strategies ahead of the winter peak season?

The future-proof procurement strategy for 2026 is not about buying cheaper; it is about planning earlier, using data smarter, and building resilience before disruption reaches the vessel.