Malaysia to Restart Search for Missing MH370 as New Seabed Mission Begins

By Staff, Agencies

Malaysia will resume its search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 later this month, nearly 12 years after the aircraft disappeared.

The Ministry of Transport announced that the renewed effort will concentrate on zones identified as having the highest likelihood of revealing the plane’s location.

MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, en route to Beijing.

Despite an extensive investigation, authorities have never determined what caused the jet to divert from its route and travel south into the remote Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed after running out of fuel.

The initial Australia-led hunt searched 120,000 sq km of ocean over three years but found only scattered pieces of possible debris along shorelines in East Africa and the Indian Ocean, including Madagascar, Mozambique, and Réunion.

A later mission led by the maritime exploration company Ocean Infinity also ended without results in early April after bad weather halted operations.

Ocean Infinity, which previously conducted a major search in 2018, will resume its efforts on December 30 under a “no-find, no-fee” agreement approved by Malaysia’s government in March.

The company will search a new 15,000 sq km area of the Indian Ocean and will receive $70 million only if it locates significant wreckage.

Malaysia’s Transport Ministry said the renewed mission reflects the government’s commitment to offering closure to families of the victims. Loved ones of those on board—including many from China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia—have long urged authorities to continue the search and have sought compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and insurer Allianz.