A floating object discovered off Phu Yen Province in south-central Vietnam on Tuesday has been identified as a torpedo used in training by a foreign navy, Vietnamese authorities announced on Wednesday.

A Vietnamese fisherman found a cigar-shaped metal object adrift on Tuesday while fishing approximately four nautical miles off the coast of Phu Yen Province.

The object, later identified by naval officers as a training torpedo, measures 6.8 meters long and 54 centimeters in diameter, with propellers installed at its tail and Chinese characters written on its body.

The man brought the object to a beach in Tuy An District in Phu Yen on Wednesday, where naval officers conducted a thorough examination, said Bui Van Thanh, chairman of Tuy An District.

Although Chinese characters are found on the torpedo’s body, authorities have been unable to tie the weapon to any particular country, Thanh said.

It is still unclear whether the torpedo is just a dummy weapon or if it is actually capable of detonation.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Minh, commander of Phu Yen’s Border Guard, said the torpedo was set to be handed over to the Vietnam Navy on Wednesday evening.

However, due to complications with the paperwork, the transfer has been delayed until Thursday morning, according to a source of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

According to a report on Tuoi Tre