The Malaysian government has approved a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared over a decade ago with 239 people on board. Texas-based marine robotics company, Ocean Infinity, has been given final approval for a “no-find, no-fee” contract to resume the search in a new 5,800-square-mile area in the southern Indian Ocean. The company will receive $70 million only if wreckage is discovered.
The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar in 2014 and is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean after deviating from its flight path. Despite extensive multinational searches and a private search by Ocean Infinity in 2018, no clues to its location have been found. However, debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands.
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett stated that the company has improved its technology since 2018 and narrowed down the search area to the most likely site. The search vessel has reportedly been sent to the site, with January-April being the best period for the search.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the passengers of flight MH370. The approval for the new search comes after three months of giving the nod in principle to plans for a fresh search. The contract with Ocean Infinity will be signed soon, with details of the terms yet to be disclosed.
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