The Malaysian government has officially approved a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared over a decade ago, authorizing marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to resume the hunt, as per Al Jazeera.
The tragic loss of the aircraft, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, remains one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on Wednesday that the cabinet had finalized the terms and conditions of an agreement with Ocean Infinity, a US-based firm specializing in marine robotics. The company previously conducted two unsuccessful searches for the missing Boeing 777, with the most recent attempt concluding in 2018.
The minister had previously indicated that the new search would span 18 months.
The finalized agreement authorizes a potential payout of $70 million to Ocean Infinity, contingent upon a successful discovery of the wreckage. The arrangement operates under a “no find, no fee” policy, meaning the company will only be compensated if the aircraft is located.
According to Loke, the new search area will encompass approximately 15,000 square kilometers (5,790 square miles) in a previously unexplored location in the southern Indian Ocean.
This initiative follows a comprehensive search conducted jointly by Malaysia, Australia, and China, which covered 120,000 square kilometers (46,332 square miles) of the southern Indian Ocean. That search relied primarily on automatic connection data between an Inmarsat satellite and the missing plane.
The renewed search received preliminary approval three months ago.
MH370 vanished less than an hour into its overnight flight. Investigations revealed that the aircraft’s communication systems were deliberately switched off. However, military radar signals indicated the plane turned back across Malaysia, bypassed Penang Island, and then set a course toward northern Sumatra.
Despite a massive multinational search and rescue operation involving 26 countries, no wreckage was found. Weeks after the disappearance, the Malaysian government declared that the plane had flown until it exhausted its fuel supply before crashing into the Indian Ocean.
Subsequently, debris believed to be from the missing aircraft washed up on the coasts of Africa and several Indian Ocean islands.
As the new search prepares to commence after a hiatus of over five years, families of the passengers have previously demanded compensation from Malaysian Airlines, Boeing, Rolls-Royce (the engine manufacturer), and the Allianz insurance group, among other parties.
