Malaysia agrees to resume ‘no find, no fee’ hunt for flight MH370 — 10 years after plane disappeared

By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2024-12-20 13:05:06 | Updated at 2024-12-20 18:39:57 5 hours ago
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Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, March 22, 2014. Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, March 22, 2014. AP

Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a U.S. company to renew the hunt for flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday.

Loke said Cabinet ministers gave the nod at their meeting last week for Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to continue the seabed search operation at a new 5,800-square-mile site in the ocean next year.

“The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible,” he said in a statement.

Police carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29, 2015. AFP via Getty Images

The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing.

Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.

An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues, although debris washed ashore on the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands.

A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Cabinet ministers gave the nod at their meeting last week for Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to continue the seabed search operation. REUTERS
Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered, Loke said. AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE/AFP via Getty Images

Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered, Loke said.

He said his ministry will finalize negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025.

The firm has indicated that January-April is the best period for the search, he said.

The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people on a flight from Malaysia to Beijing. AFP via Getty Images
Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed. AFP via Getty Images

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

Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett earlier this year reportedly said the the company had improved its technology since 2018.

He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyze data and narrow the search area to the most likely site.

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