Efforts are underway to unravel one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history with a fresh deep-sea quest for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 now in progress in the Indian Ocean.
A vessel named Armada 86 05, equipped with two autonomous underwater vehicles, has reached the specified search zone to recommence the exploration over ten years after the aircraft carrying 239 passengers vanished.
The precise location of the ongoing search remains undisclosed by Malaysia’s Transport Ministry in their recent announcement. The search ship made its preparations at Fremantle Port in Western Australia before embarking on this mission, as stated by the ministry.
Although not explicitly naming Ocean Infinity, the Malaysian government referred to the search vessel as belonging to the said company, as indicated by maritime and aviation sources.
Ocean Infinity, a Texas-based marine robotics enterprise, spearheaded a prior search and was long slated to lead this renewed effort. The government had earlier revealed that the company would initiate targeted seabed searches under a “no-find, no-fee” agreement.
Ocean Infinity has declined to provide detailed comments on the operation, citing its sensitivity and significance. The company had a similar agreement during its 2018 seabed exploration, which, at that time, yielded no traces of the missing plane.
Earlier this year, Ocean Infinity temporarily recommenced seabed searches in a new 5,800-square-mile region of the southern Indian Ocean following government approval. The operation had to be halted in April due to adverse weather conditions.
The Boeing 777 vanished from radar screens 39 minutes post-departure from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The pilot’s final communication was the words “Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero” before the aircraft entered Vietnamese airspace without subsequent contact with controllers.
Shortly after, the plane’s transponder ceased transmitting its location. Military radar data indicated a turn back over the Andaman Sea, with satellite information suggesting a continued flight for several hours until potential fuel depletion, culminating in a crash in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean.