A mysterious object resembling military hardware has been spotted floating at sea. Indonesian military has acknowledged the bizarre occurrence, yet was unable to intercept the object that floated away.
Photos of the mysterious object emerged on Indonesian social media last week and promptly went viral. According to local media, the pictures were snapped by oil rig workers on the Natuna Sea – a vast, shallow basin in the southernmost portion of the South China Sea and located largely in Indonesia’s territorial waters.
One of the images shows the tank floating on the open sea, with its turret and gun clearly visible. While the vehicle appeared to be heavily rusted, some of its external equipment was intact, including spare jerry cans and a towing cable.
Ditemukan Benda Mirip Tank di Perairan Natuna, Ini Penjelasan TNI AL https://t.co/uiOxhj7GnL #beritajogja #jogja #jogjaistimewa pic.twitter.com/GFpMFIgEKM
— Harian Jogja (@Harian_Jogja) December 18, 2021
Another picture shows the seafaring tank with a real ship – the anchor handling vessel OPS Astrid – in the background. The ship reportedly tried to approach the floating object, yet was unable to do so due to rough waters.
Masih aja planga-plongo di Natuna…. nih ada tank amphibi punya siapa cobaaaa… pic.twitter.com/wPtzzq1lmZ
— Midun (@kakak_pembina) December 16, 2021
The bizarre occurrence has been acknowledged by the country’s military, which sent rather mixed messages on the nature of the tank-like object. On Sunday, Major Saul Jamlaay told local media that the reports of finding “objects similar to tanks” were true, but that the “objects were not dangerous.” The tank-shaped object in question belonged to a local oil and gas company and was swept away from an offshore rig, the official claimed.
On Monday, however, Admiral Julius Widjojono provided a different account of the events, stating the nature and origins of the tank were not actually known, with the Navy still searching for the object that has “drifted away.”
“Please wait for a more in-depth analysis. The Navy’s seeking its whereabouts,” the admiral said, as quoted by local media.
