[1] A cargo ship of Hamburg Süd occurred to have an injured crew member in 1964: the Captain report on the skilled fishermen of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in Tarawa gave him the idea of recruiting these seamen.

As a Merchant Marine training school, MTC is now owned and funded by the government of Kiribati.

MTC was established in 1967 by the British Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the British shipping China Navigation Company, and the German shipping company Hamburg Süd, being part of the SPMS (South Pacific Marine Services).

Then, the Government had the following objectives when they founded the Centre: Over the 50 year period since its creation to date, MTC has provided training to: The MTC is since its creation the most important source of private sector employment for Kiribati, generating significant foreign exchange earnings.

Remittances from wages earned while overseas provide a source of foreign revenue for the Kiribati economy and support to the extended families of the seafarers.