Nikolaos Kotakis is recently appointed to the role of Technical Director at Total Lubmarine.
Mr. Kotakis was born and raised in Greece, and he is holder of Master’s degrees in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, Business Administration and International Business, from Greek, British and French Universities. He began his career in ship building, working on projects in Greece, Germany and in the USA, joining TOTAL in January 2012. He is a member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (MRINA), registered with the Engineering Council as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), and with the FEANI as European Engineer (EUR-ING). Here he talks about his immediate priorities.
“Being appointed as Technical Director of Total Lubmarine is a tremendous honour and it is also a great responsibility. There is no doubt that these are transitional times for shipping, and the demands on everyone are changing across any of the sectors. In this regard, it is great to see how companies are responding, including our own, by collaborating on efforts to collectively find new ways forward. From our side, we are also experimenting using digital technologies to help advance solutions for cleaner fuels, improved lubrication and engine monitoring. What we see ahead is an exciting journey that we need to shape for our customers by helping them choose the right solution with the right level of technical support based on the operational needs of every vessel of their fleet.”
“From there on, as the demands for cleaner energy solutions continue to increase, it becomes ever more important that we prioritize the things that really matter. I observe more and more how ship owners and operators, as well as the OEMs and every touch point across the energy supply chain, reflect on the significance of their own proactivity and their actions in the journey to a low carbon future. And I find it necessary to be taking time to listen to them and to my colleagues across the Total Lubmarine business on their views of our services and products. For me, this is the way to ensure that all our customers have the technical support they need to be able to deliver their products and services successfully.”
“When I first started my career in ship building, I joined the shipping industry to make a positive difference to how ships could be better designed and better operated. And as Technical Director, I am clear about where our focus needs to be. It is really important to me to create a vibrant, innovative and technically-led environment where our experts can be at their very best every day to improve and advance shipping’s future and justify the high level of confidence that the market has in our range of lubricants for all 2020 compliant fuels.”