The Malaysian government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no charge” proposal from a US company to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Friday.
Loke said cabinet ministers at their meeting last week gave the nod to Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to continue its seafloor searching operation at a new location in the 15,000-square-kilometer ocean next year.
“The proposed new exploration area identified by Ocean Infinity is based on the latest information and data analysis conducted by experts and researchers. The company's proposal is credible,” he said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Two Canadian citizens died in the crash.
French authorities do not confirm the link, only stating that it is highly probable
Satellite data showed that the plane deviated from its flight path and headed over the southern Indian Ocean, where it likely crashed. A costly international search yielded no clues, although debris washed ashore on Africa's eastern coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean.
A private 2018 search by Ocean Infinity also turned up nothing.
The company says the technology has improved since the last search
Loke said Ocean Infinity would receive $70 million under the new deal, but only if significant wreckage was discovered.
He said his ministry would finalize negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025.
The company indicated that the best period for searching is January-April, he added.
“This decision reflects the government's commitment to continuing the search and providing closure to the families of the passengers of MH370,” he added.
Earlier this year, Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett reportedly said that the company had improved its technology since 2018. He said the company is working with multiple experts to analyze the data and narrow the search area to the most likely location.