MH370 next of kin optimistic with new search poised to take off

THE families of passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are hopeful a new search by Ocean Infinity in a 15,000 sq km area of the southern Indian Ocean will finally uncover the plane, which disappeared nearly 11 years ago, reported Bernama.

Grace Subathirai Nathan, 37, a representative of the next of kin, said the families were thankful for the Cabinet’s approval of the UK-based company’s search proposal, despite the initial 2018 mission yielding no results.

“As the next of kin, we hope this search will be the last, and that MH370 will be found this time,” she said.

“Thank you for considering the proposal (from Ocean Infinity) and for not giving up on MH370 and continuing the search.”

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook announced yesterday that the Cabinet had agreed in principle to Ocean Infinity’s “no find, no fee” search proposal.

Putrajaya will not have to pay the company anything unless the aircraft is found. If the wreckage is found, the government will have to pay Ocean Infinity US$70 million (RM322 million).

The new search could begin as early as the coming months, with Loke saying,

“The best time to search the area is between January and April, so we will try to sign the agreement as soon as possible.”

Subramaniam Gurusamy, 70, whose son Puspanathan was on board MH370, shared a similar hope and said it would bring much-needed closure to him and his wife.“We are hopeful it (MH370) will be found in this search, and I believe all the other relatives will feel the same,” he said.

The disappearance of MH370 remains one of the biggest mysteries in aviation. The plane went missing shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.

In January 2018, Malaysia signed an agreement with Ocean Infinity to conduct a high-resolution seabed search in the southern Indian Ocean south of Australia.

After searching and collecting high-quality data from over 112,000 sq km of ocean floor, the company ended its search on May 29, 2018. - December 21, 2024