Barnacle Systems is stepping up its push into government markets with the appointment of former US Coast Guard officer Joseph Abeyta, as the Canadian marine technology company continues to develop a business spanning professional and leisure boating.
Abeyta joins as director of government business development after a career that includes more than $60m in direct US Coast Guard contracts. His appointment gives Barnacle a senior executive with experience across military operations, government procurement and the commercial marine technology sector, at a time when the company is targeting new government customers.
The move comes alongside Barnacle’s established presence in leisure marine, where it sells connected monitoring and security products through dealers and distribution partners.
From coast guard to Barnacle
Abeyta spent 24 years on active service with the US Coast Guard, including commanding Coast Guard Station Miami Beach and Group Cape Hatteras.
After leaving the coast guard, he spent the past decade as director of business development for government programmes at Teledyne FLIR Maritime / Raymarine.
During that time, he captured and managed more than $60m in direct US Coast Guard contracts, including the Scalable Integrated Navigation System II (SINS II) programme.
Under Abeyta’s leadership, SINS II became the coast guard standard aboard more than 2,000 boats and cutters spanning more than 50 vessel classes.
Abeyta (pictured) says the needs of professional operators are a key factor in his decision to join the company.
“I’ve spent my career working alongside the men and women who go to sea to protect lives, defend our nation, and carry out difficult missions in some of the world’s most challenging environments,” he says. “The technology they rely on has to be dependable, intuitive, and built around the realities of operations.”
Sean Battistoni, chief growth officer at Barnacle Systems, says Abeyta brings experience from both sides of the government technology relationship.
“Joseph brings something very special to Barnacle,” Battistoni says. “He understands the maritime mission from every angle — as an operator, a commander, an acquisition leader, and an industry executive.”
Building across two markets
Abeyta will lead government business development covering the US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, allied defence organisations, state and local marine agencies and international government partners.
The appointment adds to Barnacle’s existing leisure-marine business, which is built around products including BRNKL Blue and BRNKL 5G. More information about these can be found on the company’s website.
The company has previously used distribution partnerships to develop its recreational market. In 2020, Global Distribution Solutions (GDS) was appointed exclusive UK distributor and global sales agent for Barnacle’s BRNKL security and monitoring products.
Barnacle has also developed technology partnerships in the leisure sector. In 2026, Sea.AI announced an integration with Barnacle’s BRNKL Blue and BRNKL Black systems, allowing Sea.AI video streams and associated data to be stored through Barnacle’s platform.
The company’s leisure proposition covers boat monitoring, security, cameras, location and system alerts, while its professional products are aimed at military, coast guard, law enforcement and other commercial operators.
Barnacle Systems is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The company has also appointed marine integration engineer Florian Besnard as sales engineer. Besnard spent 13 years at French marine electronics specialist Pochon, working on systems for recreational, commercial and government vessels. He has experience integrating equipment from manufacturers including Garmin, Simrad, B&G, Raymarine, Furuno, FLIR and Victron Energy, and has previously worked with Barnacle’s BRNKL Black monitoring platform.
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