Tuesday 25 / February / 2025
Kuala Lumpur: The US and UK-based maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity has resumed the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, officials and media reports said on Tuesday.
The disappearance of the Boeing 777, which was carrying 239 people, already triggered the largest search in aviation history at the time of the incident in 2014.
Malaysia announced in December that it had agreed to a proposal from Ocean Infinity to resume the search.
"They have convinced us that they are ready," Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday.
"That's why the Malaysian government is proceeding with this."
A long-lasting mystery
Ocean Infinity is using the search vessel Armada 78 06 and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to scour the seabed in an area of about 15,000 square kilometres (5,792 square miles) off the coast of Perth in Western Australia, media said.
Four main spots within this area will form a focus of the search as being the locations where researchers believe the wreckage is most likely to be found, they said.
According to Australian broadcaster 9 News, the firm has signed a "no find, no fee" agreement with the Malaysian government.
Ocean Infinity already undertook a search for the aircraft in 2018.
To this day, only a few dozen pieces of wreckage have washed up on various coasts.
Loke said the details of the renewed search were still being finalized but added that he welcomed "the proactiveness of Ocean Infinity to deploy their ships."
Researchers have few clues to work with in their search for MH370, which, according to satellite data, deviated from its flight path to Beijing and continued to fly for over six hours after its disappearance from radar shortly after take-off.
