A new search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has begun in the Indian Ocean, in what could be a final attempt to solve one of aviation’s biggest mysteries.
Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke confirmed that British marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has begun the search in the waters to find the wreck of MH370, which went missing in March 2014 after departing Kuala Lumpur with 239 people onboard.
Ocean Infinity’s support vessel Armada 7806 and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been deployed in a new search area in the Indian Ocean, 1200 miles (1900km) off Perth Australia over the weekend, according to Australian broadcaster 9 News.
The vessels have begun scouring the seabed with a more focused and targeted than previous searches, involving 1500sqkm of the ocean. Previous failed searches had a much wider 200,000sqkm of area to conduct the search.
In December, the Malaysian government approved, in principle, a $70m (£56m) deal with the US-based marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity to locate the aircraft.
The deal will operate on a “no find, no fee” agreement, meaning the company will only get paid if and when the wreckage is found. The best time to undertake the search was identified between between January and April.
Mr Loke on Tuesday welcomed the search and said they were still “finalising the details for the contract to be signed’.
"Nevertheless, we welcome the proactiveness of Ocean Infinity to search for MH370 as this is great news for all the victims’ next of kin," he said.
He said the British firm is optimistic and has given assurances to the Transport Ministry of giving positive results using data from previous searches.
The Armada 7806 – considered the most technically advanced ship of its kind – is likely to search in three to four “hotspots” where researchers suggested the plane’s wreck of fuselage might be located.
The vessel is expected to spend up to six weeks surveying the area, with a break to restock supplies in Fremantle, Western Australia, which served as the base for previous search operations, The Telegraph reported.
The Malaysian Airlines plane carrying 239 people on board disappeared on 8 March 2014 as it flew over Vietnamese airspace during its flight to Beijing. The plane was due to fly north to Beijing but suddenly turned back before reaching Vietnam airspace and went south west in the direction of the Malay peninsula towards the Indian Ocean. It then went off radar range
Satellite data analysis showed the plane likely crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of western Australia. However, two major searches failed to come up with any significant findings.
Since its disappearance, it has become the biggest mystery in aviation history and theories of what happened to the passengers and crew have been extensively evaluated.
The search is likely the final attempt to provide closure to the families of the victims of MH370 tragedy.
The new search is focused around the arc of the southern Indian Ocean, the point where the plane is believed to have ended its journey. This arc was determined using satellite data from Inmarsat, which tracked the aircraft's final communications.
The second search zone has been identified further south based on the hypothesis that the jet may have travelled further than the previously estimated distance after running out of fuel.
A potential third search area has been identified using data from ham radio operators, whose WSPR transmitters send low-power radio pulses worldwide every two minutes.
When aircraft cross these signals, they can cause disturbances. Aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey analysed 130 such signal disruptions over the Indian Ocean on the night MH370 disappeared, suggesting they could form a “trail of crumbs” pointing to the jet’s final path.
The search in the fourth area would depend on the weather conditions.
