Ocean Infinity, a US-based private marine exploration company, has been contracted by the Malaysian government to lead a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
This will be the company’s second attempt to locate the missing aircraft, having previously conducted a search in 2018 that was unsuccessful. It marks the third attempt at a search to locate the missing flight, which vanished without trace in March 2014.
The company will be compensated if the wreckage is found, and will conduct the new search on a ‘no find, no fee’ basis. Unconfirmed reports have speculated that the newly-agreed search may commence as early as this month.
So, who is Ocean Infinity, and what will be difference as it prepares to launch its second search for the missing airliner, a decade after its disappearance?
Who is Ocean Infinity?
Based in Austin, Texas and Southampton in the south of England, the exploration company was founded in 2016. It uses robotic to gather maritime data from the ocean and seabed.
The company’s Southampton base will serve as an operations center, coordinating the new search. From here, they will autonomously command sophisticated underwater drones in the search area.
These will be launched and retrieved by a crew aboard Ocean Infinity’s cutting-edge Armada 78 remotely operated vessels.
The marine exploration company originally conducted a ‘no find, no fee’ search for MH370 between January and May 2018. Using a fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) the extensive search proved unsuccessful.
In the same year, the company did see other successes. Firstly, it located a missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan in the Atlantic. It then located the lost South Korean tanker Stellar Daisy in the South Atlantic.
In 2022, the OI team discovered Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost vessel, Endurance. The team found the ship, missing for more than 100 years, at the bottom of the Weddell Sea at a depth of 3,000 meters.
The company’s past history of locations at extreme depth lends further credibility to their capabilities entering the new search.
Seven years on from their first attempt, Ocean Infinity has a sense of confidence in the renewed search. the company believes that new scientific evidence and advanced technology will increase their chances of success this time.
The Challenge of Finding MH370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, now simply known as MH370, was a scheduled international service that disappeared on March 8, 2014.
The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft was flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport when it vanished from radar.
What happened to the seemingly routine night flight after the captain casually acknowledged the standard radio request to change from Malaysian to Vietnamese ATC remains the greatest aviation mystery to date.
The search for MH370 has been a long and fruitless one. The aircraft effectively disappeared without a trace. Despite two extensive searches, no substantial wreckage to pinpoint the final resting spot has been found.
Several pieces of debris have been found and confirmed to have been from the flight MH370 Boeing 777-200ER . The most significant find was a flaperon, a control surface from the right-hand wing trailing edge, which washed up on Réunion Island in 2015.
Other confirmed pieces include a piece of the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer and parts from both wings. People have found around 39 pieces of debris across various locations in the Indian Ocean.
The Theory Behind the New Search Location
Ocean Infinity is confident that they can find MH370 this time. They are relying on new scientific evidence to narrow down the search area.
Several groups have postulated ‘end of flight’ theories for the aircraft. These universally point to a Southern Ocean flight scenario, but differ on the critical last moments of flight.
One theory suggests a pilot-controlled water ditching. The alternative theory is an uncontrolled crash following fuel starvation.
The Ocean Infinity search is based on the latter scenario of a crash after fuel starvation. The calculations of aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey and Professor Maskell, an autonomous systems expert, provide the basis for the new search location.
Despite the benefit of new data and new technology, a second search still remains a significant challenge. The proposed search area is roughly about the size of the state of Connecticut.
The Importance of Finding MH370
The search for MH370 remains important for a number of reasons. First, finding the last resting place of the aircraft will finally allow the families of the victims some sense of closure.
From an aviation perspective, the understanding of what happened to MH370 from the time it vanished from radar will hopefully prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.
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