Renewed Search for MH370 Begins Nearly 12 Years After Disappearance

As the search effort for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 resumes, hope for answers also reignites nearly 12 years after the aircraft vanished.

On December 3, Malaysia's transport ministry announced that the search for the missing plane will start again on December 30, over a decade after its disappearance on March 8, 2014, during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard.

Ocean Infinity, a company specializing in marine robotics with operations in the United States and the United Kingdom, is poised to spearhead this renewed mission. They were previously involved in a search operation back in 2018.

The ministry confirmed Ocean Infinity's commitment to restarting operations on the seabed, spanning a period of up to 55 days but conducted at intervals to adjust for operational and environmental challenges.

Efforts this time will concentrate on a specific zone in the southern Indian Ocean, believed to have the highest likelihood of revealing the aircraft's location, according to assessments.

Malaysia's government views this development as a testament to its dedication to bringing peace of mind to the families impacted by this tragic event and fulfilling a longstanding quest for closure.

Since the aircraft's mysterious disappearance in March 2014, numerous search attempts have been made over a span of more than four years.

Conducting a major search effort in 2018 that ended without success in finding the plane, Ocean Infinity was promised $70 million by the Malaysian authorities if their resources yield recovery of the aircraft.

In early 2023, Malaysia’s transport minister, Anthony Loke, announced intentions to restart the search efforts that were briefly paused in April due to adverse weather conditions, with prospects for resumption towards the year's end as reported by Reuters.