Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a U.S. company to restart the hunt for Flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than a decade ago, Transportation Minister Anthony Loke said Friday.
Loke said Cabinet ministers at their meeting last week approved Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to continue searching the seabed at a new 15,000 square kilometer site in the ocean next year.
MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES NEW push to find MH370 a decade after disappearance: ‘The search must continue’
“The proposed new search area identified by Ocean Infinity is based on the latest information and data analysis from experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible,” he said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from the Malaysian capital. Kuala Lumpurto Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path and flew over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.
Flying Officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the waters in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, March 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
A costly multinational search turned up no evidence, although debris washed up on the coast East African coast and islands in the Indian Ocean. A private search of Ocean Infinity in 2018 also turned up nothing.
According to Loke, under the new contract, Ocean Infinity will only receive $70 million if significant wreckage is discovered. He said his ministry would complete negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025. The company has indicated that January to April is the best period for the search, he said.
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“This decision reflects the government’s commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure to the families of MH370 passengers,” he added.
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett reportedly said earlier this year that the company had improved its technology since 2018. He said the company works with many experts to analyze data and narrow the search scope to the most likely location.
