Malaysia Airlines MH370: Ocean Infinity Resumes Search After Decade-Long Mystery

The American marine robotics company Ocean Infinity is set to resume its search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared over a decade ago in one of aviation's most perplexing mysteries.

Malaysia's government announced on Wednesday that Ocean Infinity would restart its seabed hunt for the missing aircraft on December 30, rekindling hopes for closure in this baffling case.

Flight MH370 vanished without a trace on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew members. Despite extensive multinational search efforts spanning years, investigators remain unable to determine the aircraft's fate.

The Boeing 777 disappeared from radar just 39 minutes after departing from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing. The final communication from the cockpit was the pilot's routine sign-off: "Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero." Shortly afterward, the plane's transponder shut down.

Military radar subsequently detected the aircraft making an unexpected turn over the Andaman Sea. Satellite data suggested the plane continued flying for several hours, possibly until fuel exhaustion, before crashing into a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean.

Various theories about the disappearance range from hijacking to cabin depressurization or power failure. Notably, there was no distress call, ransom demand, evidence of technical malfunction, or reports of severe weather conditions.

In 2018, Malaysian investigators cleared all passengers and crew of responsibility but did not rule out "unlawful interference." Officials have indicated that communications were deliberately severed and the aircraft intentionally diverted from its planned route.

The passenger manifest included 227 travelers from various countries, predominantly from China, along with 12 crew members. Among those on board were artists, technology professionals, families with young children, and two Iranians traveling with stolen passports.

Initial search operations began in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam before expanding to the Andaman Sea and ultimately the southern Indian Ocean.

Australia, Malaysia, and China coordinated what became the largest underwater search in history, covering approximately 120,000 square kilometers of seabed off Western Australia. Despite deploying aircraft, sonar-equipped vessels, and underwater drones, the search yielded minimal results.

The first confirmed debris was discovered on Reunion Island in July 2015, with additional fragments later found along Africa's eastern coast. The official search was suspended in January 2017.

Ocean Infinity previously conducted a search in 2018 under a "no find, no fee" agreement, focusing on areas identified through debris drift studies, but ended without success.

The search has been particularly challenging due to the vast size of the Indian Ocean, harsh weather conditions, and water depths averaging around 4 kilometers. While it's unusual for aircraft to disappear over deep ocean, when they do, locating remains becomes exceptionally difficult.

In March, Malaysia's government approved another "no-find, no-fee" contract with Ocean Infinity to search a new 15,000-square-kilometer site. The company stands to earn $70 million only if it succeeds in locating the wreckage.

After a temporary suspension in April due to adverse weather, Ocean Infinity will now resume intermittent search operations from December 30 for a total of 55 days, focusing on areas believed most likely to contain the missing aircraft.

The company reportedly plans to utilize advanced technology and has collaborated with numerous experts to analyze data and narrow down the search area to the most probable location.