The leader of Australia’s MH370 search has called on the Australian government to back any potential new attempts to locate the plane, which has been missing for a decade as of Friday.
The Malaysian government announced on Sunday that they are currently engaging in discussions with Ocean Infinity, a US company specializing in marine robotics, regarding a potential new search. Ocean Infinity has expressed their readiness and capability to resume the search and has presented a proposal to the Malaysian government.
On March 8, 2014, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including seven Australians, departed from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing. Approximately 40 minutes later, the aircraft disappeared from the radar, and its whereabouts are still unknown.
The Malaysian government originally conducted a surface investigation in the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca. However, satellite signals revealed that the airplane had changed course, traveled until it depleted its fuel, and ultimately crashed into the Indian Ocean near Western Australia and Antarctica.
At that point Australia took over, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) leading the Indian Ocean underwater search effort from May 2014 to early 2017.
Peter Foley, the director in charge of the search led by ATSB, expressed that the longer the search is postponed, the less likely it is for the flight data recorders to be relevant. He hopes for the Australian government to back a fresh attempt.
“It has been six years,” stated Foley.
He mentioned that the plane’s last satellite “handshakes” occurred in the southern Indian Ocean near the seventh arc zone of water.
“We simply require an additional search.”
(cannot reword)
In 2018, the Malaysian government hired Ocean Infinity to conduct a subsequent search under the terms of “no find, no fee”. However, this attempt was unsuccessful. Until the present time, Malaysia has consistently stated that they will not initiate a new search unless there is verifiable and reliable evidence.
Oliver Plunkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity, expressed a desire to resume the search and has high hopes for it to occur this year.
“We are still interested in resuming the search for MH370 and are actively working towards making this possible,” he stated. “We are now able to resume the search for the missing aircraft MH370 and have presented a proposal to the Malaysian government.”
“We anticipate resuming the search shortly.”
“The Malaysian Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, expressed Malaysia’s dedication to locating the aircraft and stated that cost is not a concern.”
He stated that he planned to meet with representatives from Ocean Infinity to discuss a fresh undertaking.
He stated that we are currently waiting for them to give us appropriate dates and he is looking forward to meeting them in the near future.
The families of the victims have continuously demanded for further action to be taken.
Hundreds of loved ones and advocates gathered near Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to commemorate the disappeared and show their solidarity with demands for a new search.
Families in China have also sent letters to the Malaysian government requesting the reopening of the investigation.
There is not only uncertainty surrounding the location of the plane, but also the motive behind its disappearance. The focus has turned to Zaharie Ahmad Shah, one of the pilots, and the possibility of a deliberate act of violence and self-harm. Some theories suggest a controlled landing or extended glide, which could indicate that the plane traveled a greater distance than initially believed and was under someone’s control before ultimately crashing into the ocean.
The ATSB has rejected this hypothesis and instead proposes that the plane’s rapid descent suggests it was plummeting and the pilot may have been incapacitated.
Due to the lack of responses, various theories have emerged. Professionals and non-professionals have carried out their own investigations.
Richard Godfrey is one of the original members of the MH370 Independent Group and has endeavored to disprove numerous conspiracy theories.
He has been studying the weak signal propagation reporter network, a global database of amateur radio waves that can be disturbed by aircraft, for clues. He said those clues, along with the satellite handshakes and drift modelling, pointed to areas of the Indian Ocean that have not yet been searched.
He stated that he believed the aircraft would be located within this year.
He expressed his desire for governments to take action instead of remaining idle. The passengers, aviation sector, and MH370 relatives are all searching for answers.
Foley expressed optimism about the potential discovery of the plane, but acknowledged that it would require funding from the Australian government.
He stated that the aircraft would only be found if we actively searched for it.
I am deeply saddened for the families of the 239 people who were on board the aircraft six years ago in 2018, as they still do not have any answers. This is an immense tragedy.
“We have to repeat the process.”
Source: theguardian.com
