KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A renewed deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has not resulted in any discoveries, according to Malaysian authorities. Twelve years after the aircraft disappeared with 239 people on board, the latest efforts have come up empty, prompting families of the victims to call for continued search operations.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau announced on Sunday that the seabed search, conducted by the marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, took place between March 2025 and January 2026. The search covered thousands of square kilometers of the southern Indian Ocean, but no confirmed findings of the aircraft wreckage have been reported.
Details of the Search Efforts
Last year, Malaysia authorized Ocean Infinity to renew the search under a “no-find, no-fee” contract, allowing the company to operate within a new 15,000-square-kilometer (approximately 5,800-square-mile) area believed to be where the plane may have crashed. The contract stipulates that Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if the wreckage is discovered.
The search itself was conducted over 28 days during two phases: from March 25 to 28 last year and from December 31, 2025, to January 23, 2026. According to the bureau, approximately 7,571 square kilometers (around 2,923 square miles) of seabed were surveyed. Operations faced interruptions due to challenging weather conditions.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau stated, “The search activities undertaken have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage.” The bureau did not provide a timeline for when the search may resume.
Background of the Disappearance
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The aircraft, a Boeing 777, deviated from its flight path and is believed to have headed south into the southern Indian Ocean. Initial multinational search efforts failed to uncover its location, although some debris washed ashore along the east African coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean. A subsequent private search conducted by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also yielded no results.
The group Voice 370, which represents the families of those aboard the missing plane, has urged the Malaysian government to extend Ocean Infinity’s contract and explore similar agreements with other deep-sea exploration companies. Although Ocean Infinity’s current contract extends until June 2026, the families have expressed concerns that the company’s vessel has been reassigned for other projects, making it unlikely to return promptly to complete the remaining search areas.
In a statement, Voice 370 emphasized, “The government pays nothing unless the aircraft is found. Any request by Ocean Infinity to extend the search contract should therefore be granted without hesitation.” They further called on Malaysia to consider offering similar “no-find, no-fee” opportunities to other capable exploration firms if the current search remains unsuccessful.
The families remain resolute in their quest for answers. “We will never give up!” they declared, emphasizing their determination to continue seeking the truth behind the disappearance of Flight MH370.
