A British marine robotics company has initiated what is likely the definitive search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, more than a decade after the Boeing 777 disappeared. Ocean Infinity's deep-water support vessel, Armada 7806, has commenced an extensive seabed exploration to resolve one of aviation's most significant mysteries.
Marine tracking websites indicate that the vessel reached a new search area in the Indian Ocean over the weekend. The search operation, located 2000 km off the coast of Perth, Australia, is anticipated to be the final effort to locate the aircraft that vanished nearly 11 years ago.
On 8 March 2014, the Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared from air traffic control's radar just 40 minutes into its six-hour trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Search efforts are underway, deploying autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) from the Ocean Infinity ship to initiate scans of the ocean floor. The AUVs, capable of reaching depths of 6km, are operated through a satellite link from the company’s control centre in Southampton. They are set to explore four areas identified by researchers as potential crash sites. The AUVs on Ocean Infinity’s Armada 7806, constructed in 2023, can remain submerged for four days, doubling the duration of their 2018 predecessors.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke confidently announced on 25 February that Ocean Infinity has resumed the search for the missing plane. The renewed effort targets a 15,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean, identified as "credible" by Kuala Lumpur based on data such as satellite signals and disrupted radio transmissions.
In December, the Malaysian government announced with confidence that the search for the missing passenger jet would resume with Ocean Infinity under a "no find, no fee" agreement. The optimal period for searching was determined to be between January and April.
Mr Loke embraced the search and stated 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.” No final agreement has been announced between the government and the company, with Ocean Infinity’s current mission, around six weeks long, believed to be its own.
The Armada 7806, recognized as the most technically advanced ship of its kind, is set to search in three to four "hotspots" where researchers have identified potential locations for the plane's fuselage wreck. The vessel will spend up to six weeks surveying the area, taking a break to restock supplies in Fremantle, Western Australia, which previously served as the base for search operations.
The renewed search effort is concentrated on the arc of the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed the aircraft concluded its journey. This arc was identified using satellite data from Inmarsat, which monitored the plane's final communications. A secondary search area has been delineated further south, premised on the theory that the aircraft might have travelled beyond the initially estimated distance after exhausting its fuel.
Additionally, a potential third search area has been pinpointed using data from ham radio operators, whose WSPR transmitters emit low-power radio pulses globally every two minutes. When aircraft intersect these signals, disturbances may occur. Aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey analyzed 130 signal disruptions over the Indian Ocean on the night MH370 vanished, proposing that these disruptions could serve as a "trail of crumbs" indicating the jet's final trajectory.
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