Overview
- Malaysia confirmed operations began on 30 December, focusing on a 15,000 km² sector of the southeast Indian Ocean considered the most likely location.
- The contractor is deploying autonomous underwater vehicles capable of mapping the seabed to roughly 6,000 meters, resuming work paused earlier this year due to bad weather.
- The mission follows a no discovery, no fee model, with payment contingent on finding the aircraft under the Malaysian government’s conditional contract.
- Families of victims remain divided, with some expressing hope and others questioning the Inmarsat-based data that shaped the search area.
- Earlier large-scale efforts led by Australia covered about 120,000 km² without finding the wreck and an Ocean Infinity search in 2018 also failed, while a Beijing court this month ordered about $3.3 million in compensation to relatives of eight victims.