Ocean Infinity resumes search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 off Western Australia

Malaysian officials have confirmed that marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity has resumed the search for the lost Boeing 777 jet operating as flight MH370 for Malaysia Airlines, which disappeared in 2014 and has not yet been found.

The aircraft deviated from its route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014 and was lost somewhere over the Indian Ocean in March of that year with 239 people on board.

Dutch survey specialist Fugro had been contracted by the Australian government to search the missing aircraft with various towed survey arrays off Western Australia. However, the company failed to find any trace of the plane.

In 2018, Ocean Infinity sent the large subsea construction vessel Seabed Constructor (now operating as Pacific Constructor with Taiwan's Dong Fang Offshore) to the Indian Ocean with robotic vehicles on board to search for the plane.

Ocean Infinity had earlier entered into a “no find, no fee” agreement with the Malaysian government, whereby it would only be paid if it located and documented the wreckage. Ocean Infinity had also found no sign of the aircraft.

Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke told local media earlier this week that the new contract between the government and Ocean Infinity was still being finalised but that the latter has already begun deploying vessels and other assets for the search.

The contract has a maximum duration of 18 months and includes the payment of US$70 million to Ocean Infinity if it manages to locate and verify MH370's wreckage.

The renewed search for the aircraft will cover an area of 15,000 square kilometres approximately 1,500 kilometres off the coast of Perth in Western Australia. Within this area are four "hot spots" that researchers believe there is an increased likelihood that the wreckage may be found.