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Malaysia has agreed in principle to a new “no find, no fee” search for the wreckage of flight MH370, believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean over a decade ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on Friday.
The Cabinet has approved a proposal from Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to explore a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) area of the seabed. “The proposed search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible,” Loke said in a statement.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, disappeared on March 8, 2014, shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers and crew, mostly Chinese nationals, en route to Beijing. Satellite data suggested the plane deviated from its intended flight path before crashing into the remote southern Indian Ocean.
Despite an extensive multinational search, no definitive clues to the plane’s location were found, though some debris eventually washed ashore in East Africa and on Indian Ocean islands. A private search by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also yielded no results.
Under the new agreement, Malaysia will only pay Ocean Infinity if the plane’s wreckage is found. Transport Minister Loke said negotiations on the terms and conditions are expected to conclude by early 2025.
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett has stated that the company has significantly improved its technology since the 2018 search. The firm is collaborating with experts to analyze data and pinpoint the most likely location of the wreckage.
The renewed effort reflects hope that advancements in marine robotics and data analysis may finally solve one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.
