New Hope for MH370: Malaysia Restarts Search with Ocean Infinity

In a significant step toward solving one of aviation’s greatest mysteries, Malaysia has agreed to restart the search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared over a decade ago.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that the government has accepted a new proposal from Ocean Infinity, a US-based exploration firm that previously led search efforts in 2018, though those attempts did not yield any results.

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This renewed search aims to cover a larger area in the southern Indian Ocean and offers families of the 239 people on board a renewed chance for closure.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, vanished from radar on March 8, 2014, leading to one of the most extensive and costly search operations in aviation history. I

nitial underwater searches of the southern Indian Ocean, where the aircraft is believed to have crashed, spanned 120,000 square kilometers and cost around 200 million Australian dollars. Despite these efforts, no significant debris was found, and the search was suspended indefinitely in January 2017.

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In 2018, Ocean Infinity took over the search on a “no-cure, no-fee” basis. Over three months, the firm covered 112,000 square kilometers north of the original search area. However, that effort also yielded no results and was called off in May 2018.

The governments of Malaysia, Australia, and China, which had all been involved in the multinational search, stated that the operation would only resume if new, credible evidence emerged that could lead to the aircraft’s location.

Now, Malaysia’s government has agreed to give Ocean Infinity another chance, with the firm set to receive $70 million if it finds substantial wreckage. The new search will cover a 15,000-square-kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean based on new data that Malaysia’s government considers credible.

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While negotiations over the terms of the deal are still ongoing, the government has expressed hope that this renewed effort will bring the families of those on board the flight the closure they have long awaited.

Transport Minister Loke emphasized that the search would be conducted with renewed optimism. “We hope this time will be positive,” he said, recognizing the immense emotional weight this search holds for the families of the missing.