Picture Credits: Kentaro Iemoto
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Malaysia has halted the latest search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 just six weeks after operations resumed in the southern Indian Ocean. Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity has paused the mission due to seasonal conditions and plans to resume it at the end of the year.
“They have stopped the operation for the time being. They will resume the search at the end of this year,” Loke said in a voice message shared with media on Thursday.
Search Conducted Under “No Find, No Fee” Agreement
Ocean Infinity, based in the UK and US, is conducting the search under a “no find, no fee” agreement. The company will only be compensated — up to $70 million — if the aircraft is found. Ocean Infinity had previously led a failed search in 2018.
The firm deployed its advanced vessel, Armada 7806, equipped with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) capable of descending 6 kilometers and operating underwater for four days — twice the endurance of earlier models. These AUVs were controlled remotely from Southampton via satellite.
Focus Area Based on New Data
This year’s operation began in February, targeting a new 15,000-square-kilometre area west of Perth, Australia. The zone was identified using updated satellite and radio transmission data, which researchers believe to be credible. Four high-probability crash zones had already been scanned before the suspension was announced.
Picture credits: European EPA/Ahmad Yusni
Timeline of MH370’s Disappearance
Flight MH370 vanished from radar on March 8, 2014, about 40 minutes after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard. Despite the most extensive search in aviation history — including an earlier Australia-led operation that covered 120,000 square kilometres — no definitive wreckage has been located.
A final report released in 2018 confirmed the aircraft’s course was manually altered and cited air traffic control lapses. The report did not identify a specific cause and did not rule out that someone other than the pilots may have taken control of the plane. One theory suggests that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah could have deliberately crashed the aircraft, though no conclusive evidence supports this.
Families Demand Answers
Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese nationals, with the rest from Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, and other countries. Families of the missing continue to seek closure and accountability. In March, on the 11th anniversary of the disappearance, relatives of Chinese passengers gathered in Beijing, protesting outside government offices and the Malaysian embassy.
They carried signs reading, “When will the 11 years of waiting and torment end?” and chanted, “Give us back our loved ones!”
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