A new search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has commenced more than ten years after the aircraft vanished, remaining one of aviation’s most perplexing mysteries. Ocean Infinity, a maritime exploration company, has resumed the search, as announced by Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Tuesday. Loke informed reporters that the contract details between Malaysia and Ocean Infinity are still being finalized, but he expressed appreciation for the company’s initiative to deploy their ships for the search, which began after the plane’s disappearance in March 2014. He noted that the duration of the search has yet to be negotiated and did not specify when the British firm restarted its efforts.
Flight MH370 lost radar contact shortly after departing from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8, 2014, en route to Beijing, carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers. The aircraft has never been located, and the circumstances surrounding its disappearance remain unclear. Grace Nathan, 36, who lost her mother on the flight, expressed relief and gratitude for the resumption of the search. Jaquita Gonzales, 62, the wife of flight supervisor Patrick Gomes, voiced her hope that the renewed search would provide her family with the closure they desperately seek. “We just want to know where it is and what happened,” she stated, recalling the vivid memories of that day.
As of February 23, the Ocean Infinity vessel was reported to be in the southern Indian Ocean. Malaysia agreed to restart the search in December 2024, with Ocean Infinity operating on a “no-find-no-fee” basis. Loke mentioned that the government plans to sign an 18-month contract, which would grant Ocean Infinity $70 million if the wreckage is found and verified. The search area will encompass 15,000 square kilometers.
On the 10th anniversary of the disappearance, March 8, 2024, Australia offered support to Malaysia for a renewed search, as eight Australians were among the passengers. However, a spokesperson for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau clarified that Australian authorities are not involved in the current search efforts.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 AM local time on March 8, 2014, destined for Beijing. The last sighting on military radar occurred at 2:14 AM, as the plane headed west over the Strait of Malacca. Approximately 30 minutes later, the airline reported losing contact with the aircraft, which was scheduled to arrive in Beijing around 6:30 AM. Families of those on board continue to seek answers regarding the fate of their loved ones, with some having traveled to Madagascar in 2016 to search for debris, following discoveries of plane parts off the coasts of Tanzania and Mozambique. In January 2017, after nearly three years of searching 120,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean, Australian authorities concluded the underwater search for the wreckage.
