The promised search for MH370 remains elusive.

After the Malaysian transport minister, Anthony Loke, announced a fresh search ‘in principle’ in early December 2024 based on a proposal from Ocean Infinity, a leading underwater search company, one was hopeful of a ‘no find, no fee’ deal being signed soon after, and a search starting sometime in January 2025.

January has long gone, and we have no word yet from Malaysia, the flag state, on the contract or the sticking points that are holding up the deal. The prolonged silence is perplexing, even annoying. We don’t know what is coming between the ‘in principle’ and the pragmatic? Was Loke’s December 2024 surprise announcement without a Cabinet consensus, and premature?

We are left to wonder what new conditions are being discussed that are so grossly at variance from the earlier search contract with Ocean Infinity in 2017–18, and what past experience, circumstances or new reservations have emerged from both parties to make the contracting process this time-consuming.

After nearly 11 years since MH370 vanished without warning or known cause, never to be seen again, one may ask, ‘What’s the hurry?’ The people lost are not coming back. The cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders are probably useless to investigators by now and may not even be found. What purpose will be served by rushing to commence another search?’

For those who may not know, the search area identified in the southern Indian Ocean is inhospitable territory with rough seas. From January till about April/May, conditions are relatively favourable, and it seemed that we were poised to take advantage of the ‘search season’, a recent, curious coinage. Indeed, one hears that Ocean Infinity too was hopeful that the terms of the search agreement would be finalised in January 2025 and had positioned and provisioned its designated search vessel(s) near the search area.

With every passing week, the search window in this season shrinks. Perhaps one should draw comfort from knowing that many more seasons will follow. Will Ocean Infinity stay interested/committed to the search? As a commercial organisation, will it be one of those ‘so near, yet so far’ opportunities that it will move away from? 

The delay will inevitably raise questions about the Malaysian government’s intent and commitment to a new search and give rise to unhelpful and even unflattering speculation. There is much that is happening on the global geopolitical stage that point to turbulent times ahead and it is easy to take the position that contract finalisation has been overtaken by more attention-gouging events. Easy, yes, but unconvincing. Their continued silence, after raising expectations, is unkind and inexplicable. The absence of an update is appalling.

As 8 March approaches and we mark the 11-year anniversary of the disappearance of MH370, we will probably recall with some sadness the continuing story of Malaysia’s reluctance to take charge and be seen as proactive and sincere in the search for MH370, its inability to demonstrate an appetite for answers and the truth and go beyond cliché when referring to closure.

Also read: ‘MH370: Will We Get Lucky This Time?’

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