Over 11 years since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing, the Malaysian government has sanctioned a new search for the aircraft’s lost debris.
The Malaysian authorities announced their intention to reinitiate a search last year, marking a decade since the event that resulted in 239 lives lost.
Ocean Infinity, a seabed exploration company that previously conducted an unsuccessful search in 2018, has submitted a new plan, which was accepted in principle by Malaysia’s government last December.
A search area comparable to Sydney
The company is currently back in the southern Indian Ocean, approximately 1,500 kilometers west of Perth, utilizing an array of advanced technology. Ocean Infinity engages in projects looking for offshore oil and gas and identifying sites for renewable energy projects.
Moreover, the firm has prior success in locating underwater wreckage; it found a missing Argentinian navy submarine nearly 1,000 meters deep in the Atlantic Ocean in 2018 and discovered a long-submerged US Navy ship last October.
Utilizing state-of-the-art sonar technology
The designated search area for MH370 is approximately the same size as metropolitan Sydney, determined by experts through enhanced analysis of data gathered post-disappearance, including weather patterns, satellite imagery, and debris locations that had washed ashore along Africa’s coast and nearby Indian Ocean islands.
During this renewed search, Ocean Infinity will deploy the newly constructed 78-meter offshore support vessel, the Armada 7806, built by Vard in Norway in 2023. The ship is equipped with a range of autonomous underwater vehicles designed by Kongsberg, capable of operating at depths of 6,000 meters for up to 100 hours, featuring advanced sonar systems necessary for underwater detection and mapping.
Challenges in the search region
The search is anticipated to be challenging due to harsh weather conditions and difficult underwater environments, including rugged seafloor terrain, with the operation expected to span up to 18 months. Favorable weather conditions for this work are expected between January and April.
If Ocean Infinity successfully locates the wreckage of MH370, the Malaysian government will compensate the company US$70 million. Subsequent efforts would involve retrieving the aircraft’s black boxes to provide crucial details about the final moments prior to its descent into the ocean. The Armada 7806 is expected to carry remotely operated vehicles equipped for verification and salvage tasks.
Should Ocean Infinity not succeed in this endeavor, they will receive no payment, leading the investigation to essentially restart from its previous state.
