Malaysia Finalizes Terms for Renewed MH370 Wreckage Search

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Families of passengers from both China and Malaysia gather during a memorial event for the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, on March 3, 2024. — Reuters

The mystery of flight MH370 is one of the greatest unsolved cases in aviation history.
Ocean Infinity stands to earn $70 million if they successfully find the wreckage.
The government reaffirms its commitment to finding closure for the families impacted by the MH370 incident.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has reached an agreement with exploration company Ocean Infinity to restart the search for the lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, according to a statement from the transport minister on Wednesday.

Flight MH370, which was a Boeing 777, disappeared in 2014 while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, and is still considered one of aviation’s biggest mysteries.

This new agreement will allow search operations to begin in a different area of the southern Indian Ocean, covering approximately 15,000 square kilometers (around 5,790 square miles), based on a “no find, no fee” principle, as noted by Minister Loke Siew Fook.

If Ocean Infinity successfully locates the wreckage, they will receive $70 million, the minister confirmed.

“The government is dedicated to continuing the search efforts and to providing closure for the families of those aboard MH370,” Loke stated.

In December, the government indicated that it had agreed in principle to Ocean Infinity’s proposal to restart the search after the company conducted the last search in 2018, which did not result in any findings.

The previous attempts followed an underwater search led by Malaysia, Australia, and China, covering a vast 120,000 square kilometers (about 46,332 square miles) area of the southern Indian Ocean, based on data from automatic connections between the plane and an Inmarsat satellite.

A ship designated for the search was dispatched to the designated area in the Indian Ocean late last month, as indicated by tracking data, even before the official agreement was finalized with the government.

It is still unclear how long the search contract with Ocean Infinity will last, although Loke had mentioned that it would span approximately 18 months.