Meet Konstantinos Lourandos, Senior Technical Consultant at 90POE

With over 26 years of experience in fleet and technical management, Konstantinos Lourandos brings deep industry knowledge and hands-on insight to his role as Senior Technical Consultant at 90POE. After decades working as a Technical and Fleet Manager, Konstantinos is now focused on transforming vessel management through scalable, user-first technology. 

In our latest blog, Konstantinos shares what drew him to maritime tech, how his engineering background shapes his approach, and what excites him most about the evolution of OpenOcean STUDIO.

Following years of working at leading shipping companies as a Technical and Fleet Manager, what led you to maritime technology and 90POE? 

I've been in the shipping industry for the past 26 years, working as a Technical and Fleet Manager in both ship-owning and management companies. Over the years, I’ve witnessed how profoundly the industry has changed, especially with the growing pressure from environmental regulations, the need to comply with increasingly strict requirements, and the uncertainty surrounding new, often immature, technologies that promise fuel savings. 

The old mindset - that as long as the propeller is turning, everything is fine - is no longer enough. To remain competitive and truly sustainable, the shipping companies must reduce operating expenses and strive for efficiency across all aspects of vessel operations. 

And the only real way to achieve that is through data. But while companies began collecting vast amounts of it, many did so without a solid data management strategy or meaningful KPIs. Legacy ERPs can't keep up. In most cases, users end up creating parallel spreadsheets, increasing their workload instead of being supported by the software. The information is there, but users have to dig for it, rather than having it surfaced intelligently. 

To answer your question, what drew me to maritime technology was the need for a new generation of ERP solutions—ones that truly serve the end user, not the other way around. That’s what drew me to 90POE and their approach. 

As a Senior Technical Consultant, how do you bridge the gap between complex technical requirements and real-world operational needs in the maritime industry? 

Bridging the gap between complex technical requirements and real-world operational needs has been at the core of my work, especially after many years ashore in ship management. I always start by grounding everything in the vessel’s day-to-day reality, because I understand the demanding nature of shipping operations and the complexity of overlapping activities. In the real world, the Technical Superintendent and the Technical Manager often have to make critical decisions quickly and under pressure. 

As a Senior Technical Consultant, my focus is on translating complex technical concepts into clear, practical, and user-friendly solutions. In reality, there’s no time to search endlessly for information—software should deliver the correct data at the right moment. That way, valuable (and often limited) human resources can concentrate on solving problems rather than chasing information. 

Technology should support decision-making, not complicate it. My role is to bridge the gap between software capabilities and operational expectations—challenging both sides when needed, but always keeping the end user's needs front and center. 

How has your engineering background shaped your approach as a consultant and technical leader for cloud-based solutions like OpenOcean STUDIO? 

My engineering background has shaped the way I approach problem-solving, with a focus on structure, precision, and a deep understanding of how systems operate in the real world. Having spent years managing ships and fleets, I’ve learned to evaluate solutions not just from a technical angle, but from the perspective of the people who use them: superintendents, technical managers, and crew. This mindset is central to my role as a consultant and technical leader working with cloud-based platforms like OpenOcean STUDIO. 

What makes cloud-based solutions so powerful is their ability to address long-standing pain points in our industry. Unlike legacy systems, they provide real-time access to data, enabling fast and informed decision-making across multiple locations. They eliminate data silos by centralizing information, improve collaboration between teams, and reduce the burden of maintaining outdated infrastructure. 

Cloud platforms also allow for continuous improvement. Updates can be rolled out seamlessly, and the system scales easily as your operation grows—something that traditional systems often struggle with. From a cost and security standpoint, the cloud provides built-in resilience, backup, and protection that’s hard to match with on-premise setups. 

 In short, I bring an engineering mindset to cloud-based transformation: focusing on reliability, user experience, and real operational value. My goal is always to ensure that technology doesn’t just look good in a demo, it makes life easier for the people running ships every day. 

What do you think makes maritime tech unique when it comes to system design and delivery? And looking ahead, what excites you most about the evolution of OpenOcean STUDIO and its role in modernising maritime operations? 

What makes maritime technology truly unique is the complexity of the environment in which it operates. Ships are essentially self-contained, mobile industrial units—running 24/7, often with limited connectivity, and managed by teams both onboard and ashore. This presents a unique set of challenges for system design and delivery. Solutions must be resilient, intuitive, and capable of functioning under low-bandwidth or offline conditions, while still syncing seamlessly with shore-based systems. 

Another key factor is the diversity of users—from officers onboard to superintendents, technical managers, and financial controllers ashore—each with their workflows, priorities, and levels of technical comfort. A maritime platform must be able to "speak" all these operational languages fluently while remaining easy to use and adaptable. 

Looking ahead, what excites me most about the evolution of OpenOcean STUDIO is its potential to become the backbone of a truly connected and intelligent fleet operation. We’re moving beyond just collecting data: we're enabling more intelligent decisions, automated workflows, and real-time collaboration across teams. 

What’s most promising is that OpenOcean STUDIO is being built with the end user at the centre. It’s not about simply meeting regulations or ticking boxes—it’s about fundamentally transforming the way we manage vessels, bringing clarity, simplicity, and efficiency to every layer of operation. 

I strongly believe that now more than ever, the shipping industry must adapt to new challenges by embracing cloud-based platforms, platforms that serve the end user by delivering the correct information at the right time, in a simplified, consistent format for all stakeholders, from the manager ashore to the seafarer onboard.