A Chinese underwater drone was caught by an Indonesian fisherman near a key waterway leading to Australia on Monday, local media reported.
The discovery of the “torpedo-like” object near the Lombok Strait comes at a time of increasing Chinese underwater activity in sensitive areas.
The waterway between Bali and Lombok is closely watched by the United States and Australia. It is one of the few deepwater routes that can accommodate submarine transits at operational depth and is also suitable for large naval vessels travelling between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The device was found a few kilometres north of Lombok near the approaches to the strait while the fisherman was casting his nets. He became suspicious and hauled it to shore before contacting the local authorities.
Media reports said it was believed to be a “marine technology device” and police concluded there was no immediate threat after examining it for explosives or radioactive material.
The cylindrical object was about 3.7 metres (12 feet) long and 0.7 metre in diameter. Local police said these were “characteristics commonly found in observation devices or underwater survey equipment”.
Photos taken at the site showed the object bore the logo of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), along with several Chinese characters.
