Malaysia resumed its search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 today after announcing plans to do so earlier this month. The operation begins under a previously announced 55-day plan and follows an earlier mission by Ocean Infinity that concluded in April due to weather. The UK-and US-based marine robotics firm is conducting the search under a no-find, no-fee agreement with Malaysia’s transport ministry.
The latest phase will cover roughly 5,800 square miles in the southern Indian Ocean identified as having a higher likelihood of locating the missing Boeing 777, though authorities have not released exact coordinates. According to the transport ministry, the renewed focus builds on updated drift and satellite analysis, as well as debris confirmed to have come from the aircraft that washed ashore across Africa and islands in the region. Ocean Infinity, which previously surveyed the area in 2018 and earlier this year, has not commented on the timing or scope of the latest mission.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, prompting one of aviation’s largest underwater searches. While multiple investigations have examined potential causes behind the loss, no definitive explanation has been determined.
Families of those aboard have continued to call for answers. Danica Weeks, whose husband was a passenger, told The Guardian she hopes the renewed mission offers “clarity and peace” that has remained out of reach for more than a decade.