A new search operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 began in the Indian Ocean, nearly a decade after the aircraft disappeared without a trace. The British-American company Ocean Infinity initiated the effort, focusing on a 15,000 square kilometer area about 1,500 kilometers off the coast of Perth, Australia. According to the German news outlet Die Welt, the search aimed to provide clarity about the fate of the aircraft and its 239 occupants.
The disappearance of Flight MH370 on March 8, 2014, remained one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. The Boeing 777 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished from radar screens and deviated from its course for unknown reasons. Despite extensive search operations, including the largest in aviation history, which ended in January 2017 without findings, the main fuselage of the aircraft, the flight data recorder, and the passengers were never found, as reported by Tagesschau.
Ocean Infinity conducted the search under a "No Find, No Fee" agreement with the Malaysian government. This meant the company would only receive payment for the mission if the aircraft was found, reducing financial risk for the government. The Scottish Sun reported that under this arrangement, Ocean Infinity would receive the agreed 70 million US dollars only in case of success.
The search concentrated on four hotspots within the designated area, locations where researchers believed the wreckage was most likely to be found. The company utilized the deep-sea support ship Armada 7806 and autonomous underwater vehicles to scan the ocean floor at depths of around four kilometers. According to Stern, the underwater vehicles operated in challenging conditions, navigating seabed topography that included cliffs and volcanoes.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke welcomed Ocean Infinity's initiative. "They have convinced us that they are ready. That's why the Malaysian government is proceeding with this," he said, according to The Hindu. He added that the government's "responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin. We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families."
The search was expected to take around six weeks but could last longer due to difficult operating conditions, including the topography of the ocean floor and weather challenges. Die Presse noted that a cyclone was forming over the region, causing high waves, which might impact the operation.
Ocean Infinity had success in other search operations. In 2018, the company located the sunken Argentine submarine ARA San Juan off the coast of Patagonia. They also found the French submarine La Minerve, which had been missing for over half a century in the northwestern Mediterranean. Tagesschau reported that these achievements gave hope that the company might solve the mystery of Flight MH370.
The families of the missing passengers and crew continued to live in uncertainty, hoping for answers about the fate of their loved ones. The new search by Ocean Infinity raised hope among them. "This is arguably the most rough area of ocean in terms of sea state in the world; ships are moving so slowly you could walk faster," former Naval officer Peter Waring, who was involved in the search for MH370 in 2014, told The Scottish Sun.
Investigators believed the aircraft crashed in a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean after deviating from its course. Theories about the disappearance ranged from technical failure to deliberate crash or hijacking. Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that many experts believed that after disappearing, the airplane traveled southward for several hours, but the reason remained unclear.
Despite the challenges, there was cautious optimism that the technology and new "credible" evidence might lead to new findings. The Malaysian Ministry of Transport announced last year that the search would be resumed based on these factors, suggesting an increased chance of success. According to The Hindu, the search area included regions not previously covered and was based on data analyses by expert groups.
Ocean Infinity's efforts were being closely watched by the international community, and tracking websites allowed interested parties to follow the exact position of Armada 7806. As the search progressed, the world waited to see if the mission would finally uncover the truth behind one of aviation's greatest mysteries.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.