Sawt Falasteen - Malaysia agrees to resume search for missing MH370 plane

The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Malaysia had agreed to a new search operation by maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which also carried out an unsuccessful hunt in 2018.

The company's first efforts followed a massive Australia-led search for the aircraft that lasted three years before it was suspended in January 2017.

Loke said a new 15,000 square kilometre (5,800 square mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean would be scoured by Ocean Infinity, which is based in the United Kingdom and United States.

"The new search area proposed by Ocean Infinity is based on the latest information and data analysis conducted by experts and researchers," Loke said.

"The proposal for a search operation by Ocean Infinity is a solid one and deserves to be considered," he told reporters.

The government said it agreed Ocean Infinity's proposal "in principle" on December 13, with the transport ministry expected to finalise terms by early 2025.

The new search will resume "as soon as the contract is finalised and signed by both parties", Loke said.

"They have informed us that the ideal time for the search in the designated waters is between January and April. We are working to finalise the agreement as quickly as possible," he added.

- 'No guarantees' -

The new search will be on the same "no find, no fee" principle as Ocean Infinity's previous search, with the government only paying out if they find the aircraft.

The contract is for 18 months and Malaysia will pay $70 million to the company if the plane is found, Loke said.

He said the decision to agree to a fresh search "reflects the Malaysian government's commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure to the families of the MH370 victims".

The original Australia-led search covered 120,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean but found hardly any trace of the plane, with only some pieces of debris picked up.

The plane's disappearance has long been the subject of theories -- ranging from the credible to outlandish -- including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

Asked if he was confident the plane will be found during the new search, Loke said: "At this point, no one can provide guarantees.

"It has been over 10 years, and it would be unfair to expect a concrete commitment. However, under the terms and conditions, any discovery must be credible. It cannot just be a few fragments; there are specific criteria outlined in the contract."

X.AbuJaber--SF-PST