KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Twelve years after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished with 239 people aboard, efforts to locate the aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean have yet to yield results. Malaysian authorities reported that a renewed deep-sea search conducted by the marine robotics company, Ocean Infinity, from March 2025 to January 2026 has not produced any confirmed findings related to the aircraft wreckage.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau issued a statement acknowledging that the seabed search covered thousands of square kilometers but failed to confirm the presence of any wreckage. In 2024, Malaysia authorized Ocean Infinity to recommence the search under a "no-find, no-fee" contract, focusing on a new area of 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 square miles) in the southern Indian Ocean, where the plane is believed to have crashed.
The search unfolded in two phases: from March 25 to 28, 2025, and from December 31, 2025, to January 23, 2026, covering around 7,571 square kilometers (2,923 square miles) of seabed. Due to adverse weather conditions, search operations were periodically disrupted. The bureau emphasized that the search activities have not resulted in any conclusive evidence of the aircraft's location.
Flight MH370 disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, en route to Beijing. Satellite data later indicated that the aircraft deviated from its intended flight path and headed south into the Indian Ocean, a region where the plane is presumed to have crashed. Despite extensive multinational search efforts, no definitive clues regarding its location were found, although some debris washed ashore on the east coast of Africa and Indian Ocean islands. A private search initiative by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also failed to locate the aircraft.
The family advocacy group Voice 370, representing relatives of some of those who were aboard, has urged the Malaysian government to extend Ocean Infinity's contract and to consider similar agreements with other deep-sea exploration firms. Although Ocean Infinity's contract is set to run until June 2026, concerns have arisen that the company's search vessel has been reassigned for other projects, making it unlikely that they will return to finish the remaining search areas due to worsening winter conditions at sea.
Voice 370 underscored that the government faces no financial liabilities unless the aircraft is found, urging prompt and decisive action on any requests from Ocean Infinity for contract extensions. They also called for Malaysia to explore similar "no-find, no-fee" arrangements with other capable deep-sea exploration companies if the current search is unsuccessful.
The advocacy group vowed to persist in their quest for answers regarding the missing aircraft, stating, "We will never give up!" This determination reflects the ongoing frustration and hope within the families affected by this tragedy, as they continue to seek closure and clarity surrounding the fate of their loved ones.
