The Express newspaper reported on November 6 that the American marine exploration company Ocean Infinity has proposed searching for the missing plane MH370 in an area of 15,000 square kilometers off the west coast of Australia.
The Malaysian government may be preparing to restart the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared 10 years ago on March 8, 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that the government is still in negotiations with Ocean Infinity about the possibility of restarting the search for MH370.
Ocean Infinity has made what officials described as a “credible” proposal to explore a new area in the southern Indian Ocean, off the west coast of Australia.
The proposal to search in the brand new and groundbreaking area of Ocean Infinity was submitted in June 2024, with plans to scan the entire 15,000 square kilometer area.
The company has offered a “no find, no fee” deal. If Ocean Infinity successfully locates MH370, it will earn $70 million – the same as previously agreed search terms.
"Based on the latest information and analysis from experts and researchers, Ocean Infinity's search proposal is credible and can be considered by the Malaysian government," Minister Loke told the Malaysian parliament.
So far, the search for MH370 has been costly and fruitless. In 2014, Malaysia, Australia and China joined forces to search an area of 120,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean. The search cost around $184 million before it was called off in January 2017.
The US company Ocean Infinity made the first attempt to search for MH370 in 2018, also on a "no find, no fee" basis.
Ocean Infinity's three-month search then covered 112,000 square kilometres north of the first search area.
Defence analyst Dr Lam Choong Wah from the University of Malaya has floated the idea of Malaysia cooperating with China in the latest search.
"Since most of the passengers on MH370 were Chinese, Kuala Lumpur should not hesitate to cooperate with Beijing," the analyst told local news agency Strait Times.
