Torpedo-like Object Found in Gili Trawangan to be Sent to TNI Headquarters

A foreign object resembling a torpedo, discovered in the waters of Gili Trawangan, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), will be sent to the Navy Headquarters of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). Currently, the object is secured at the Mataram Naval Base Command (Mako Lanal). “It will be taken to Jakarta soon,” said the Mataram Naval Base Commander, Colonel (N) Asep Tri Prabowo, on Wednesday (8/4/2026). The exact time for transporting the object was not specified. The purpose of bringing it to the centre is for research. “It will be taken to Jakarta for research and examination,” he stated. The foreign object, weighing 2,000 kg, was first found by a fisherman named Arianto on Monday (6/4/2026) in a floating condition. The exact origin of the object is not yet known. Although it has labels and writing in Mandarin on its body. “It’s all in Chinese. So we don’t know yet,” he added. When found, several parts of the 3.7-metre-long object were covered in barnacles. Regarding how long the object has been in the waters, it is unknown. “The expert team will answer that,” he said. Including whether the object’s presence is legal or illegal, he declined to elaborate. Including the function of the object. “It will be taken to Jakarta for research and examination. That’s the authority of the Navy Headquarters,” he said. Previously, the Head of Public Relations of the NTB Police, Commissioner Mohammad Kholid, stated that the torpedo-like object is a sea current measuring device. “Examination results show that the object is not a bomb or explosive material, nor radioactive. It is a device for measuring sea currents at certain depths,” said Kholid on Tuesday (7/4/2026). It was said that the device is generally used for research or monitoring sea conditions. “Usually installed on buoys or on the seabed,” said Kholid.