Malaysia has granted final approval for a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, nearly a decade after the aircraft vanished under mysterious circumstances.
The Malaysian Cabinet has agreed to a "no-find, no-fee" contract with Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity, which will spearhead the search operation over a 15,000-square-kilometre area in the southern Indian Ocean.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company will receive a payment of $70 million only if it locates the aircraft wreckage, Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
Flight Ocean Infinity, a Boeing 777, disappeared from radar shortly after departing Kuala Lumpur on 8 March 2014. The aircraft was en route to Beijing, carrying 239 passengers and crew, most of them Chinese nationals.
Satellite tracking later indicated that the plane had deviated from its planned course, turning southwards before it is believed to have crashed into the remote southern Indian Ocean.
Despite extensive multinational efforts to locate the wreckage, the aircraft's precise whereabouts remain unknown. The initial search operation, one of the costliest in aviation history, failed to yield any conclusive results.
A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also ended without success, although some debris was subsequently discovered along the east African coastline and on islands in the Indian Ocean.
Also read: 10 years of MH-370 flight : ‘If they’re alive, show us; If they’re dead, show us’
The decision to approve the fresh search follows Malaysia's in-principle nod given three months ago. Ocean Infinity has since indicated that technological advancements have bolstered its ability to narrow down the search area significantly.
Earlier this year, Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett expressed confidence in the renewed efforts, stating that the company had refined its searc
methodology through collaboration with leading aviation experts.
"We have significantly improved our technology since 2018 and have worked extensively to analyse all available data. We now believe we have identified the most promising site for the search," he said.
Minister Loke confirmed that Malaysia's Transport Ministry would soon formalise an agreement with the company, although he did not disclose specific details.
Reports suggest that Ocean Infinity has already dispatched a search vessel to the designated area, with January to April deemed the most favourable period for the operation.
“The government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the passengers of Flight MH370,” Loke said in a statement.
The fate of MH370 remains one of the greatest mysteries in modern aviation history.
Despite the passage of time, the tragedy continues to haunt the families of those on board, many of whom have long campaigned for authorities to relaunch the search.
With renewed efforts now set to commence, hopes have been reignited that long-awaited answers may finally emerge.
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