Efforts are back in motion to unravel one of aviation’s most enduring puzzles as a fresh deep-sea quest for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 commences in the Indian Ocean.
The vessel Armada 86 05 has arrived at the designated search zone equipped with two autonomous underwater vehicles to relaunch the pursuit over ten years since the aircraft disappeared with 239 individuals onboard.
Malaysia’s Transport Ministry has chosen not to disclose the specific search location in today’s announcement. The search ship completed its preparations at Fremantle Port in Western Australia before departure, as stated by the ministry.
Although the Malaysian government did not explicitly mention Ocean Infinity, the vessel identified for the search is associated with the company, according to sources in the maritime and aviation sectors.
Ocean Infinity, a Texas-based marine robotics company, spearheaded a previous search and was slated to lead the current one. The government had previously indicated that the company would initiate exploration of targeted seabed areas under a “no-find, no-fee” agreement.
Ocean Infinity declined to provide detailed comments on the operation, confirming only the resumption of the search due to its “important and sensitive nature.” The company had a similar contract during its 2018 seabed search, which yielded no findings of the missing aircraft at the time.
Earlier this year, Ocean Infinity briefly recommenced seabed search activities, focusing on a new 5,800-square-mile region in the southern Indian Ocean following government approval. The search was halted in April due to adverse weather conditions.
The Boeing 777 vanished from radar screens 39 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur towards Beijing on March 8, 2014. The last radio transmission from the pilot to Kuala Lumpur, “Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero,” marked the final contact before the plane departed Vietnamese airspace without further communication.
Shortly after, the plane’s transponder ceased broadcasting its location. Military radar data indicated the aircraft turning back over the Andaman Sea, while satellite information suggested it continued flying for several hours, potentially until fuel depletion, before crashing in a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean.