The families of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 passengers are hopeful that a new search effort by Ocean Infinity in a 15,000-square-km area in the southern Indian Ocean will finally uncover the missing plane after 10 years.
Representative of the MH370 passengers' next of kin, Grace Subathirai Nathan, 37, said the families were also thankful for the Cabinet's decision to approve the company's renewed search effort despite the initial search attempt in 2018 produced no results.
"We are grateful for the chance of the search resuming. Since the last search concluded in 2018, we have been waiting for a long time for a new search. As a next of kin, we really hope this search will be the last; we really hope that MH370 will be found this time.
"Thank you for considering the proposal (from Ocean Infinity) and thank you for not giving up on MH370 and continuing the search," she said when contacted today.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke was quoted as saying that the Cabinet, at its meeting on Dec 13, in principle, accepted an offer by Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company, to continue the search for the MH370 wreckage.
Loke said the seabed search operation would focus on a new location of about 15,000 square km in the southern Indian Ocean, based on the latest information and data analysis made by experts and researchers.
Subramaniam Gurusamy, 70, expressed hope that Ocean Infinity's search would uncover the wreckage, bringing much-needed closure to him and his wife after a tragedy that deeply impacted their family.
"S. Puspanathan, who was on board MH370 ten years ago, was our only son. If MH370 is found, it will provide answers to the tragedy that has greatly impacted our family.
"We are hopeful it will be found in this search, and I believe all the other relatives feel the same," he said.
Flight MH370, with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board, vanished while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
In January 2018, Malaysia signed an agreement with Ocean Infinity, the United States-based technology company specialising in collecting high- resolution seabed data to begin a new search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.
After searching and collecting high-quality data from over 112,000 sq km of ocean floor, the company ended its search on May 29, 2018.
Meanwhile, Voice 370, the association representing families of passengers and crew aboard flight MH370, in a statement, expressed gratitude to the government and Loke for their commitment to the search for the missing plane and passengers and for finding answers regarding the disappearance of MH370.
It said that since its initial search in 2018, Ocean Infinity has consistently shown a strong willingness to undertake a further search for MH370. The company has followed up with thorough due diligence, analysing all available data and alternative scenarios proposed by independent researchers and recommendations on potential search areas.
“We are encouraged by Ocean Infinity’s readiness to deploy their advanced fleet, including sophisticated vessels, AUVs, and cutting-edge imaging technologies. The significance of this renewed search cannot be overstated. For the families of passengers, the scientific community, and global civil aviation safety, it offers renewed hope for long-awaited answers and closure.
“If these efforts lead to safer air travel for the global public, the search and its successful conclusion will have been profoundly worthwhile.
“We, the next of kin, have endured over a decade of uncertainty, and we hope that the terms of the renewed search are finalised at the earliest and the decks are cleared for the search to begin. We continue to hope that our wait for answers is met,” the statement read.