The hunt was on for a suspected military drone aircraft floating in Bermuda’s waters last night, with the US Coastguard working to identify it.The six-foot-long object was spotted by Nouvelle DeRoza, 47, from Warwick, who was fishing at Challenger Banks — 15 nautical miles off Bermuda — with four others on the boat Ordinary People.She told The Royal Gazette via e-mail: “We spotted it around 11am and thought it was a surf board until we pulled up and saw it. It looked like a drone plane that the military uses. We called Harbour Radio and told them, and they said ‘it’s not armed, it’s just a water hazard.’ We were going to pick it up but when we got close, it looked dangerous so we left it and called Harbour Radio.“We took pictures, and after three calls to Harbour Radio we moved away so as not to cause anything to happen. Harbour Radio called me back around 2.30pm and wanted a full description of the object’s location and time we spotted it. They said they would be going out to try to find it.”Ms DeRoza sent the picture to Harbour Radio — officially known as the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre — to assist them.A spokesman for the centre said the search was hampered by a lack of accurate and up-to-date information on the object’s position. He explained that was because Ordinary People was out of cell phone range and did not have a working position-fixing system on board.“The photograph has been circulated with the police and they are doing an assessment of what it might be. We are leaving it to the professionals,” he said. “We are also asking the US Coastguard if they can identify it by looking at the photograph.”He said officials from the Atlantic Command Centre in Norfolk, Virginia, were helping.Pressed on what the object might be, the spokesman speculated it may be a drone, which can be used for various purposes — including military — as a target to shoot at, as a reconnaissance craft and for data collection.“It was described to us as something five or six feet long, cylindrical, and about ten inches in diameter,” he reported.A notice to mariners was circulated by the centre yesterday evening, asking anyone who spots it to get in touch.“Once we have an accurate position, and objective assessment as to whether or not it’s hazardous, we can either ask whoever reports the sighting to recover it or go to the location to collect it,” said the spokesman.A police spokesman said: "This object is not believed to be dangerous, however, it should only be handled by experts."He urged anyone who spots it to record the GPS co-ordinates and report it to the Maritime Operations Centre."Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to handle this object," he warned.Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre can be reached by calling 297-1010 or via VHF Radio Channel 16.