By: Yu Le
Published on: 25 December 2024, 5.31pm (GMT +8)
The search for MH370, the flight which mysteriously disappeared on 8 March 2014 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members, is due to be resumed after being called off nearly 6 years ago.
10 years after the fateful disappearance of MH370, the Malaysian Government has given the thumbs up to the continuation of the search for the missing B777-200LR, which disappeared from radar in the wee hours of 8 March 2014. The government has announced that it has engaged the US-based company Ocean Infinity to conduct this search for 70 million USD under a “no find, no pay” principle. If a certain amount of the wreckage is not found, the Malaysian government will not pay a single cent to the company.
The Malaysian government has previously engaged Ocean Infinity to aid the search back in 2018, where it failed in 2 attempts to recover the wreckage of the aircraft. This new proposal comes from the company, with the company confident about the possibility of discovering the wreckage. Ocean Infinity has suggested that the best time to locate the wreckage is from January to April, thus the government intends to finalise the deal as soon as possible.
“This contract has been agreed in principle,” said the Transport Minister of Malaysia Anthony Loke, but negotiations will continue and a finalisation of the deal is expected in early 2025. “The contract will last for about 18 months. All other terms and conditions will be finalised and brought to the Attorney-General’s Chamber for vetting,” said Mr Loke.
“Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin,” he added.
In 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) disappeared en route to Beijing. Just before entering Ho Chi Minh FIR, it made a sharp left turn towards Penang and turned off its transponder. As it reached Penang, a faint mobile signal was detected, which was most likely transmitted from the plane. The plane then turned further left towards the Indian Ocean and the last confirmed location of the aircraft was detected by a military radar 370km away from Penang Island. Multiple theories have emerged attempting to explain this bizarre event, and multiple unsuccessful search efforts have been launched in the past.
Recent breakthroughs in technology have given a more plausible route that the aircraft could have taken, like the WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) protocol database to detect anomalies which was used to narrow down possible areas for the aircraft.
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