A decade on, Malaysia renews search for vanished MH370

ASIA PACIFIC

A decade on, Malaysia renews search for vanished MH370

Chinese relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 take part in a prayer service at the Metro Park Hotel in Beijing on April 8, 2014. The plane, which departed from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, was to have flown to Beijing. | AFP-Jiji

By Kok Leong Chan
Bloomberg

Dec 20, 2024

Malaysia is negotiating terms and conditions with Ocean Infinity after accepting its proposal to search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), a decade after the aircraft disappeared, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

The marine exploration company’s search will be conducted in a new area estimated at 15,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean, according to Loke. The endeavor will be based on the “no find, no fee” principle, he added.

“The data has been presented and our team has gone through it and they feel that it is credible and it is based on many other experts,” Loke said at a briefing in Putrajaya on Friday. “As far as the government is concerned, this is another attempt to find MH370.”

MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, with an intended destination of Beijing. However, it lost contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff, when the Boeing 777 plane was over the South China Sea, and was never seen again. All 227 passengers and 12 crew members are presumed dead.

Ocean Infinity will be given an 18-month contract, and paid $70 million if it discovers the wreckage, said Loke. The search will begin once the contract is signed, which the Malaysian government aims to finalize as soon as possible.

“The best time for them to search that area is between January and April,” Loke said.

Ocean Infinity had already sought to find MH370 in 2018, with the Malaysian government agreeing to pay the firm as much as $70 million if that operation was successful.

There is more optimism this time around. The identified area is larger than what was previously searched, and that has boosted its confidence, Loke said.

The government will also define what constitutes a “wreckage” in the contract. “Under the terms, they can’t just find a piece and call it the whole plane,” he said.

“This decision reflects the government’s commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers,” Loke said.