More than 11 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing, the Malaysian government has officially approved a new search for MH370 to trace the unfortunate plane.
On March 19, 2025, Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook announced that Malaysia had agreed to the terms and conditions of the MH370 search agreement with Ocean Infinity.
Currently, Ocean Infinity has deployed search vessels to the South Indian Ocean, 1,500 km west of Perth (Australia), carrying the most advanced technologies.
The search area is as wide as Sydney
This search focuses on an area of land equivalent to the Australian city of Sydney. The location was determined based on the latest analysis of satellite data, weather conditions and the location of debris believed to be from MH370 that drifted ashore in Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean.
Ocean Infinity has a lot of experience in searching for wrecks on the ocean floor. In 2018, they found a missing Argentine naval ship at a depth of nearly 1,000m in the Atlantic.
Most recently, in October last year, they discovered the remains of an American warship that had been at the bottom of the sea for 78 years.
Advanced search vehicle and sonar technology
This search for MH370 will use the Armada 7806 offshore support ship, 78m long, built by Vard (Na Uy) in 2023.
On board was a team of autonomous diving equipment (AUV) produced by Kongsberg Group (Na Uy). These 6.2m long devices can operate independently at depths of up to 6,000m for 100 hours in a row.
They are equipped with an advanced sonar system, including a side Sonar to take high-resolution photos of the seabed by emitting sound and recording feedback signals.
synthetic aperture sonar will combine data from multiple pulses to create a more detailed image.
The multi-ray sonar (multibeam sonar) is used to map the sea floor by broadcasting sound according to the fan model.
The bottom-bottom profiling sonar will penetrate deep into the sedimentary layer to determine the geological structure below.
These sonar systems will help search for traces of MH370 in the most accurate way. If potential targets are detected, diving equipment will conduct close-up surveys using cameras and lighting systems.
The race against the weather and great expectations from Malaysia
The weather conditions in the search area are expected to be quite harsh, both at sea and under the ocean floor. The underwater terrain is also challenging with many steep slopes and rough terrain.
The campaign could take up to 18 months, with the most favorable time being from January to April each year.
If the wreckage of MH370 is found, Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million from the Malaysian government.
The next steps will be to try to capture the dark suspense of MH370, which will allow investigators to piece together what happened in the final moments before the plane crashed into the ocean.
The Armada 7806 may have remotely controlled vehicles on board equipped with cameras and control systems that could be used to verify the wreckage location and in any future rescue operations.
If it fails, the company will not receive any money and the mystery of MH370 will continue to fall into a dead end.
However, everyone hopes that the new search for MH370 with modern technology can clarify one of the world's biggest aviation mysteries.
