PETALING JAYA: The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished 11 years ago, has resumed in the Indian Ocean.
Reports from Australian and British media on Tuesday (Feb 25) indicate that Ocean Infinity's deep-water support vessel, Armada 7806, arrived approximately 1,500km off the coast of Perth over the weekend.
The British newspaper The Telegraph reported that autonomous underwater vehicles from the US- and UK-based exploration company have been deployed and have begun scanning the ocean floor.
Australia's 9News stated that the search will cover 15,000 sq km over six weeks, focusing on high-priority areas where debris from the Boeing 777 may be located.
In December last year, Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that Ocean Infinity would undertake the search on a "no find, no fee" contract, meaning the Malaysian government will not bear any costs if no wreckage is found.
If the wreckage is discovered, the company is seeking a payment of USD 70mil, the same proposal made in 2018.
Flight MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew members before disappearing, becoming one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history.
Malaysia, in collaboration with China and Australia, previously searched 120,000 sq km in the southern Indian Ocean.
Ocean Infinity’s initial search effort in January 2018 covered a narrowed 25,000 sq km area but ended in June that year without success.
