Malaysia is all set to restart the search for the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which mysteriously vanished in 2014 with 239 people on board. According to the Independent, this new development is sparked by a “credible” proposal that identifies a fresh search area in the southern Indian Ocean. The proposal, submitted by US-based marine exploration company Ocean Infinity in June 2024, outlines a search plan for a 15,000 sqkm zone off the coast of Western Australia. Interestingly, the search will follow a “no find, no fee” structure, ensuring that Malaysia would only bear costs if the wreckage is found.
Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed the advanced talks with Ocean Infinity to parliament on November 5.
”Based on the latest information and analysis from experts and researchers, Ocean Infinity’s search proposal is credible and can be considered by the Malaysian government as the flight’s official registrar. The terms and costs requested are in the same draft agreement currently being negotiated between the government and Ocean Infinity. Should it be finalised, cabinet approval will be required, and I will make a public announcement,” said Mr Loke
He also informed that the company is requesting a fee of $70m if successful.
Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company based in Texas, previously claimed that they have scientific evidence of the missing flight’s final resting place and also submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government. Ocean Infinity had last attempted to find the missing plane in 2018.
The company’s chief executive officer Oliver Plunkett said, ”We now feel in a position to be able to return to the search for MH370, and have submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government. Finding MH370 and bringing some resolution for all connected with the loss of the aircraft has been a constant in our minds since we left the southern Indian Ocean in 2018.”
The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been a long and challenging one. After the plane went missing in 2014 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, satellite data analysis suggested it likely crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of Western Australia. Despite two major searches, one led by Malaysia, China, and Australia, and another by Ocean Infinity, no significant findings were made.
The initial search area was massive, covering Southeast Asia, and later expanded to the Indian Ocean. Various nations joined the search effort, including the US, UK, China, and Australia, with nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft involved. Unfortunately, the search was suspended in 2017, and Ocean Infinity’s 2018 search also ended without success.
Malaysia’s renewed search effort for the missing flight comes at a time when a Beijing court is currently reviewing compensation claims from over 40 families of Chinese passengers who were on board. The Chinese foreign ministry has expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s ongoing commitment to resolving the case, with spokesperson Wang Wenbin welcoming the collaboration.