Malaysia yet to finalise MH370 search contract, as ship heads to new zone

Ocean Infinity ship deployed to search for missing MH370, raising hopes of solving aviation mystery in Indian Ocean.

A ship that will hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has deployed to its Indian Ocean search zone, according to Malaysia’s transport minister and ship tracking data, raising hopes of solving one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

In December, Malaysia agreed to resume the search for the Boeing 777 that was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Malaysia has not yet signed off on the contract to search the seabed for wreckage, however, casting uncertainty over whether a search has begun.

Also Read | After 11 years, exploration firm Ocean Infinity restarts search for MH370

Contacted by Reuters, U.S. exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which conducted the last search for the plane that ended in 2018, said it had no information to provide at this stage.

Malaysia had not yet signed the contract with Ocean Infinity, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday (February 25, 2025), but he welcomed the company's "proactiveness" to deploy its ships to that area to begin the search.

"Since Ocean Infinity already started to mobilise their ships, of course we welcome it because we have given the principle approval for the search to resume and just need to finalise the contract," Mr. Loke told a press conference.