Mysterious AUV caught in Bay of Bengal handed over to Navy, experts weigh in

The mysterious Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) caught in fishermen’s nets off the coast of Patharghata in Barguna has been handed over to the Bangladesh Navy. District police said the vehicle is now in the Navy’s custody.

Barguna Superintendent of Police Kudrat-E-Khuda confirmed the matter at around 12:45 pm today, Tuesday. He told Prothom Alo, “We have handed the vehicle over to the Navy.”

Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Sohan of Patharghata Police Station, who recovered the object from the fishermen, told Prothom Alo this afternoon that it had already been sent to Dhaka with the help of the the Coast Guard on Monday night.

When contacted, the media officer for the Coast Guard’s South Zone declined to comment. However, an unofficial source within the Coast Guard stated that the vehicle was initially taken into their custody before the process of transferring it to the Navy began. The Navy is expected to conduct forensic examinations on it and take necessary follow-up actions.

Last Sunday afternoon, fishermen on a trawler from Patharghata discovered the mechanical object in their nets while fishing in the Bay of Bengal. The device closely resembles an autonomous underwater vehicle.

The recovery of the red-and-yellow craft, measuring approximately eight feet in length, sparked significant curiosity among the local fishing community, the administration, and researchers. Following media reports, the discovery quickly became a topic of discussion nationwide.

Marine zoologists in the country believe the craft could be an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle used for underwater research. Such vehicles are used globally for oceanographic research, environmental monitoring, seabed mapping, climate data collection, and military surveillance. However, its presence in the waters near the Bangladeshi coast has raised several questions.

The recovered vehicle is long and cylindrical, shaped like a torpedo. It has rounded ends and fins at the rear for stability. Upon opening the upper section, various electronic modules, battery units, sensors, control systems, and antenna-like communication devices are visible inside.

Professor Md Abdul Aziz of the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University and a marine biologist, told Prothom Alo, “At first glance, it appears to be an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, or AUV. I am not aware of such vehicles being regularly used within our maritime territory. From the images available, it appears that the vehicle was not operational. It may have drifted towards the coast due to currents after a mechanical failure or loss of power.”

According to this marine biologist, such vehicles typically remain underwater for extended periods, collecting data autonomously before returning to a designated location or transmitting the information they have gathered.

Abdul Aziz added that universities, research institutions, meteorological agencies, navies and offshore oil and gas companies around the world routinely use this technology. “I have no information about such vehicles being used in Bangladesh. If it belongs to another country, it may have drifted into our waters after becoming disabled,” he said.

Mir Mohammad Ali, assistant professor in the Department of Aquaculture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and a marine researcher, said, “If this vehicle was not being used for marine research in Bangladesh, then it is important to investigate how and for what purpose it entered our maritime territory.”

He noted that the public recovery of such an advanced technological device along the Bangladeshi coast is rare. At the same time, he said, the incident raises new questions about international marine research activities, climate monitoring, marine resource exploration and regional maritime security operations in the Bay of Bengal. A technical analysis of its identity could yield valuable insights into marine research and management.

When asked how the vehicle could be identified, Mir Mohammad Ali said that investigators would need to analyse its serial number, manufacturer’s information, data stored in memory, sensor configuration and communication systems. If internal data remain intact, it may also be possible to determine where the vehicle originated, how long it had been at sea and what type of information it had been collecting.