US-based marine research firm Ocean Infinity has confirmed that it has resumed efforts to locate the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which went missing in 2014.
An Ocean Infinity representative said the renewed search is being carried out with the support of the Malaysian government, adding that all official updates on the operation will be issued by Malaysian authorities due to the sensitive nature of the mission.
A specialised Ocean Infinity vessel is currently en route to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean. Marine tracking data shows that the 86-metre Singapore-flagged ship, Armada 86 05, departed from anchorage near the port of Kwinana on Australia’s west coast on December 23.
The vessel is equipped to deploy autonomous underwater vehicles capable of conducting detailed deep-sea mapping. The active phase of the search is expected to begin on December 30.
In March, Malaysia agreed to a new search arrangement with Ocean Infinity following previous unsuccessful efforts. Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook later said the operation was temporarily halted in April due to unfavourable seasonal conditions.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, disappeared from radar in the early hours of March 8, 2014. It is widely believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but despite years of multinational search efforts, the aircraft’s wreckage has yet to be found.
