Government of Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke said India has agreed in principle to accept a second offer from a US company to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago. Friday.
Locke said Cabinet ministers gave their approval at their meeting last week to Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to continue its seafloor search at a new 15,000-square-kilometre (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean next year.
“The proposed new research area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyzes conducted by experts and researchers. The company's proposal is credible,” he said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from radar screens shortly after take-off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, most of them Chinese citizens, on a flight from the Malaysian capital. kuala lumpurto Beijing. Satellite data showed that the plane deviated from its flight path and headed over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.
Flying Officer Ryan Grazdin scans the waters in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft during the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, March 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
An expensive multinational search failed to find any evidence, although the wreckage washed ashore on the beach East African coast And the islands of the Indian Ocean. A private search conducted by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also found nothing.
Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will only get $70 million if a large wreck is discovered, Locke said. He said that his ministry will end negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025. The company indicated that the period from January to April is the best period for research.
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He added, “This decision reflects the government's commitment to continue the search process and provide closure for the families of the passengers of aircraft MH370.”
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Banquet reportedly said earlier this year that the company has improved its technology since 2018. He said the company is working with several experts to analyze the data and narrow the search area to the most likely location.
