Wave rider buoy for weather forecasting goes missing from Arabian Sea near Karwar

Team Udayavani, Feb 25, 2024, 9:05 AM IST

Representative image (source: ResearchGate)

Karwar: A wave rider buoy, a crucial piece of technology deployed in Karwar’s Arabian Sea to monitor weather conditions and wind direction, has disappeared.

The missing buoy, valued at over Rs 1 crore, was a state-of-the-art device designed to float on the ocean surface. An 800 kg weight was attached to anchor it to the seabed at a depth of 17 meters. This was done to prevent the buoy from drifting away. The buoy was stationed near the lighthouse, approximately 8 nautical miles from Karwar.

During a routine performance check, the buoy was found to be missing. Suspicion surrounds the disappearance of this highly sensitive equipment, with concerns that it may have been stolen. Despite extensive search efforts, the buoy has yet to be located in the sea.

Dr. G. L. Rathod, Head of the Department of Marine Biology, the GPS data indicates that the last known location of the wave rider buoy was in the deep sea near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. Given the sophisticated nature of the wave rider buoy, it is improbable that its roof could have broken on its own, suggesting human involvement in its disappearance. The motive behind the theft remains unclear, as there seems to be no apparent benefit to those responsible, he said.

Dr Rathod urged anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the buoy to come forward. The return of the missing equipment would be greatly appreciated, as its absence poses a significant loss to the monitoring and forecasting capabilities in the region.