KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia) — The Malaysian government has approved a Texas-based company that specializes in marine robotics to continue the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. It is believed to be a plane that crashed into the southern Indian Ocean over a decade ago.
Cabinet ministers agreed to terms and conditions for a “no-find, no-fee” contract with Texas-based Ocean Infinity to resume the seabed search operation at a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in a statement Wednesday. Ocean Infinity is only paid $70 million if wreckage has been found.
The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff on March 8, 2014. It was carrying 239 passengers, most of whom were Chinese, on a flight between Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. Satellite data showed that the plane had diverted from its flight path, heading south towards the southern Indian Ocean. It is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean.
A costly multinational search failed to uncover any clues as to its location despite debris washing ashore along the coast of east Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean. Ocean Infinity conducted a private search in 2018. It also found nothing.
The final approval of a new search was given three months after Malaysia had approved the plans in principle.
Oliver Punkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity, reportedly stated earlier this year that the company has improved its technology since 2018. He said that the firm was working with a number of experts to analyze the data and had narrowed down the search area to its most likely location.
Loke said that his ministry would sign a contract soon with Ocean Infinity, but did not provide details. The firm sent a search boat to the site, and indicated that the best time for the search is between January-April.
In a statement, he said that the government was committed to continuing the search and bringing closure to the families of passengers of flight MH370.
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