Summary
Malaysia’s government tasked marine robotics firm ocean-infinity to resume the search for malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370, a Boeing 777 that vanished in March 2014 with 239 people on board. The search targeted approximately 10,000 square miles of the southern Indian Ocean. ocean-infinity operated on a “no find, no fee” basis, receiving $70 million only if wreckage is located. University of Western Australia oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi noted that ocean-floor conditions favor preservation and that search technology has improved significantly since 2014.
Key Claims
- Malaysia commissioned ocean-infinity to resume the MH370 search in the southern Indian Ocean (Malaysian government via NPR)
- The search area covers roughly 10,000 square miles, comparable in size to Tasmania or Sri Lanka (Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi, University of Western Australia)
- Plane parts could still be discovered because ocean-floor conditions remain relatively stable (Pattiaratchi)
- Search technology has improved significantly since MH370’s 2014 disappearance (Pattiaratchi)
- ocean-infinity would receive $70 million only if it locates the wreckage
Notable Quotes
“They’re going to look at an area of about 10,000 square miles.” — Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi
“The ambiguity of really not knowing still is still painful.” — Sarah Bajc, partner of passenger Philip Wood