Over 11 years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the Malaysian government has approved a new search for missing debris, with Ocean Infinity leading the effort. This initiative follows an updated proposal from the submarine exploration company, which previously conducted a failed search in 2018. The new search area, nearly the size of Sydney, was determined through expert analysis of satellite data and weather information.
Ocean Infinity is using the state-of-the-art Armada 7806, a 78-meter offshore support vessel equipped with advanced autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) capable of operating at depths of up to 6,000 meters for 100 hours. The vehicles use various sonar technologies, including side scan, synthetic aperture, multi-beam, and bottom profiling sonar, to map the ocean floor and identify potential debris.
The search will cover challenging conditions, including rough seabed terrain and difficult weather, with operations expected to last up to 18 months. The government has allocated a potential payment of US$70 million to Ocean Infinity if the search is successful in finding MH370. If they fail, the search would essentially reset, with no payment due. The ultimate goal includes retrieving the aircraft’s black box for further investigation into the crash.
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