Maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity has resumed the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, more than a decade after the aircraft disappeared in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries, Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke announced on Tuesday.
Loke stated that while the contract details between Malaysia and Ocean Infinity are still being finalized, the firm has already begun deploying its ships to search for the missing plane, which vanished in March 2014. The duration of the search has yet to be negotiated, and no specific details were provided on when the renewed hunt officially began.
MH370 disappeared from radar shortly after departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport on its way to Beijing, carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers. The aircraft has never been found, and the cause of its disappearance remains unknown.
“We’re very relieved and pleased that the search is resuming once again after such a long hiatus,” said Malaysian Grace Nathan, 36, who lost her mother on the ill-fated flight.
Jaquita Gonzales, 62, wife of MH370 flight supervisor Patrick Gomes, expressed hope that the search would finally bring closure to affected families. “We just want to know where it is and what happened,” she said. “Memories come back like yesterday, it’s fresh in our heads.”
Marine tracking website Marinetraffic.com showed the Ocean Infinity vessel operating in the south Indian Ocean as of February 23.
Malaysia agreed in December 2024 to restart the search under a “no-find-no-fee” arrangement. The government will sign an 18-month contract with Ocean Infinity, which will receive $70 million if it locates and verifies the wreckage. The new search will cover 15,000 square kilometers, according to Loke.
On the tenth anniversary of the disappearance, March 8, 2024, Australia extended support to Malaysia for a renewed search, as eight Australians were among those on board. However, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Australia is not involved in the new search effort.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. local time on March 8, 2014, bound for Beijing. It was last seen on military radar at 2:14 a.m., heading west over the Strait of Malacca. Half an hour later, Malaysia Airlines announced it had lost contact with the aircraft, which was scheduled to land at 6:30 a.m. in Beijing.
The renewed search offers hope that one of aviation’s most perplexing mysteries may finally be solved.
