February 26, 2025
What's the story:
The Ocean Infinity maritime exploration company has restarted the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after leading an unsuccessful mission in 2018. The Boeing 777 vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
After Australian authorities ended their underwater search in January 2017, following almost three years of searching 120,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean, this new search aims to find the wreckage.
Search agreement:
- Ocean Infinity's renewed search is under a "no-find-no-fee" agreement with the Malaysian government.
If the wreckage is located and verified, the company will be paid $70 million.
The search will cover a 15,000 square kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean, though the contract details and search duration are still being finalized.
Unresolved mystery:
- The disappearance of MH370 continues to be one of aviation's greatest mysteries.
Various theories have been proposed, including pilot error, sabotage, hijacking, and even possible government intervention.
For the families of those on board, the renewed search offers hope for closure.
Grace Nathan, who lost her mother on the flight, expressed relief at the search resuming, saying, "We're very relieved and pleased that the search is resuming once again after such a long hiatus."
Hopeful families:
- Families of the passengers are eager for answers. Jaquita Gonzales, wife of Patrick Gomes, a flight supervisor on the flight, shared, "We just want to know where it is and what happened."
Past attempts:
- In addition to the search by Ocean Infinity, some researchers are turning to barnacles to help locate the wreckage.
Ocean temperatures in the area where MH370 is believed to have disappeared can fluctuate rapidly, and the largest barnacles could have colonized the wreckage soon after impact. Researchers believe that studying the temperatures recorded in the shells of these barnacles may guide search teams to the exact location of the wreckage.