The Malaysian government has agreed in principle to accept a second 'no discovery, no fee' offer from a US company to resume the search for Flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than a decade ago. Transport Minister Anthony said. Roque said Friday.
Rourke said ministers at a meeting last week agreed that Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity would continue its undersea search operations next year at a new 15,000 square kilometer (5,800 square mile) site in the ocean. He said he agreed.
Malaysia announces resumption of search for MH370 10 years after disappearance: 'The search must continue'
“The proposed new search areas identified by Ocean Infinity are based on the latest information and data analysis conducted by experts and researchers. We believe in the company's recommendations,” he said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 disappeared from radar on March 8, 2014, shortly after taking off from Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, most of them Chinese. Satellite data showed the plane apparently veered off course and headed over the southern Indian Ocean, where it crashed.
Flight Officer Rayan Garazeddin scans the waters of the southern Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, March 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffiths)
Debris washed ashore on the East African coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean, but an expensive multinational search yielded no clues. A private investigation by Ocean Infinity in 2018 found nothing.
Under the new contract, Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if significant wreckage is found, Rourke said. He said the ministry plans to finalize negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025. He said the company has suggested that January to April is the best time to search.
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“This decision reflects the government's commitment to continue search operations and provide closure to the families of the passengers on MH370,” he added.
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett reportedly said earlier this year that the company has been improving its technology since 2018. He said the company is working with a number of experts to analyze the data and narrow the search to the most likely sites.
