The Malaysian government has given final approval for a Texas-based marine robotics company to resume its search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than a decade ago.
Cabinet ministers have agreed a “no search, no pay” contract with Texas-based Ocean Infinity to resume search operations on a new 5,800-square-mile section of seabed, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ocean Infinity will only receive $70 million (£53.8 million) if the wreckage is found.
The Boeing 777 disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff on March 8, 2014, with 239 people, mostly Chinese, on board a flight from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane had deviated from its route and was heading south into the southern Indian Ocean, where the crash is believed to have occurred.
Expensive multinational search operations have yielded no leads on its whereabouts, although debris has been found on the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also failed to find any clues.
Final approval for the new search came three months after Malaysia gave its in-principle consent to the new search efforts.
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett said earlier this year that the company had improved its technology since 2018. He noted that the firm was working with a number of experts to analyze the data and narrow down the search to the most likely location.
Mr Lok added that his ministry would soon sign a contract with Ocean Infinity, without giving details of the terms. The company has reportedly sent a search vessel to the site and has indicated that January to April is the best time to search.
“The Government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing support to the families of the passengers on flight MH370,” Mr Lock said.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
