Photo courtesy of www.brnkl.io
VICTORIA – Barnacle Systems has been granted a federal government contract for its BRNKL Rapid Deploy system that helps prevent environmental disasters.
The funding comes through Innovation, Science and Development Canada (ISED), via the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Testing Stream. BRNKL will be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard’s Vessels of Concern in the Western Region during the third and fourth quarter of 2021, and the Coast Guard and Barnacle are planning multi-month tests of the systems on vessels deemed as hazards to the environment.
BNRKL is self-powered and utilizes built-in sensors to monitor abandoned, derelict or hazardous vessels by sending alerts automatically if a vessel begins to sink or drag and anchor. It communicates over cellular or satellite telemetry, powered by a built-in battery charged by a solar panel.
Barnacle Systems Inc. is a boat security and monitoring company based in Victoria that was founded in 2017 and was a finalist in the 2020 Grant Thornton LLP Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards.
The team at Barnacle developed their flagship product for the marine industry called BRNKL (pronounced ‘barnacle’), and it was released to market in February, 2019. BRNKL is for boat owners who need to be able to check in on their vessel remotely from their smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Like a ‘home security system for boat’, users can see inside of their vessel(s) using an onboard camera while also monitoring critical alerts such as anchor drag, low batteries, loss of shore power and high-water. Unlike standard marine electronics that provide monitoring while they’re on board, BRNKL has a built-in global cellular service.
Whether the owner is at the dock, at home, or halfway around the world their boat is at their fingertips.
Within one year of launching, Barnacle Systems was protecting boats in nearly 20 countries.
BRNKL was originally targeted for recreational boats between 25-45 feet, but it was soon realized that the average boat size was between 45-75 feet. Barnacle Systems also realized, by accident, that the system is well suited for unattended vessels such as barges and decommissioned industrial vessels. Barnacle Systems installed their first BRNKL unit on a Canadian Coast Guard vessel at the end of 2019.
