KUALA LUMPUR – Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company, will be continuing its search for the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with new and improved technology.
Speaking at the 8th Annual Remembrance Event of MH370 on March 6, Ocean Infinity chief executive officer Oliver Plunkett said that while efforts to locate the flight had been temporarily put on hold in light of the pandemic, the company has always kept the matter in mind.
“As we’ve transitioned through the Covid-19 pandemic over the years, the company has taken the extra step in technology and invested even more heavily in our development.
“At the same time, we never forgot the search for MH370 and it is almost a daily topic of conversation amongst our team,” he said, adding that the United States-based exploration company aims to restart its efforts in either early 2023 or 2024.
The last operation to find the aircraft had ended in May 2018, when Ocean Infinity had failed to locate MH370 after searching more than 112,000sq km of the ocean floor over three months.
During their search for the missing flight back then, the company had employed the use of the Seabed Constructor, a multipurpose offshore vessel that pales in comparison with the 23 robotic ships Ocean Infinity will soon have lined up in its arsenal.
“These robotic ships are different. They’re probably the most modern, cutting-edge ships in the entire world.
“Two of our robotic ships are 78 meters long and are capable of being operated entirely remotely,” Plunkett said, explaining that both ships are being built in Vietnam at the moment and will be ready for use by the beginning of 2023.
By combing over data from previous attempts to ensure that no detail had been disregarded, Plunkett said his team had determined that they would be expanding the boundaries of their search while also keeping in mind past work by other searchers, particularly Richard Godfrey.
On December 1 last year, retired British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey, who claimed to have pinpointed the final resting place of the aircraft, said that he was in contact with companies such as Ocean Infinity, which has the capability to go into depths beyond 4,000m.
“It is hard, perhaps, to comprehend the sheer scale of the task in relation to the expanse of the area we’re searching and the small proportion of our target.
“Sub-sea search is difficult but for the first time since early 2020, we’ve got clarity on the availability of our assets and therefore, we’re in a position to sensibly re-engage in the conversation,” Plunkett said, noting that Godfrey’s work has been reviewed by the team as they continue to keep in close touch with the engineer.
Voicing the company’s intention to approach the Malaysian government with their offer of help, Plunkett said that the contribution of assistance will be on the same “no win, no fee” basis as before.
The company is also hoping that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will continue to support its mission, especially considering that regulatory frameworks for the robotic ships might pose a slight issue since they are remotely operated with no person on board.
On March 6, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong reiterated that the Malaysian government’s aspirations to locate MH370 have not been abandoned.
Sympathising with the loss and pain of those affected by the mysterious incident, he said Malaysia is also keen on the careful consideration and study of all new credible information to ascertain the location of the aircraft.
March 8 marks the eighth year of the tragedy which saw the passenger aircraft vanish without a trace, leaving many questions on what happened unanswered and the passengers’ family members in limbo.
In 2014, the Malaysia Airlines aircraft with 239 people on board left Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Beijing but vanished from the radar screen about two hours after its departure.
Following that, massive search operations involving several countries were conducted in the southern Indian Ocean but neither the plane nor its wreckage was ever found. – The Vibes, March 8, 2022
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