MH370 search resumes as Ocean Infinity leads new effort in 2025

(MALAYSIA) Search efforts for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are set to start again toward the end of 2025, after Malaysia’s government confirmed a fresh deep‑sea mission with exploration firm Ocean Infinity under a “no find, no fee” deal that could pay the company $70 million if the missing aircraft is located.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke first announced the new push on February 25, 2025, saying the government was ready to back another attempt to solve one of modern aviation’s most painful mysteries. Final approval followed in March 2025, clearing the way for Ocean Infinity to begin work in the southern Indian Ocean, in an area that has already been the focus of intense international attention.

Mission area, duration and scope

The mission is designed to cover 15,000 square kilometers — about 5,800 square miles — over an 18‑month period. This zone in the southern Indian Ocean lies off the coast of Western Australia and was chosen based on earlier technical studies and oceanographic modeling of how debris from the jet might have drifted.

Those studies guided earlier search work and are now shaping the renewed hunt for MH370. Ocean Infinity’s role is to deploy advanced seabed scanning tools across the 15,000‑square‑kilometer zone, analyze what those systems detect, and propose targets for closer inspection.

Quick facts (summary)

Pause and seasonal conditions

Ocean Infinity began operations shortly after receiving the green light in March 2025, but in April 2025 the company paused activities, saying it was “not the season” to continue.

Seasonal conditions in the Indian Ocean can bring heavy seas and poor weather, which make high‑tech seabed work slower, more expensive, and at times unsafe. Malaysian officials stressed the break was temporary, not a retreat, and Ocean Infinity has told the government it plans to resume work toward the end of 2025, when conditions in the search area are expected to be more favorable.

For families of the 239 people who were on board when the flight disappeared on March 8, 2014, that promise of a new window of activity is likely to matter far more than the seasonal delay.

The “no find, no fee” arrangement

The “no find, no fee” structure is central to the political and public framing of this effort.

• Under the arrangement, Malaysia would only pay the $70 million reward if Ocean Infinity actually finds the wreckage of MH370.
• If the search fails, the company does not receive the fee.

Supporters argue this protects public funds while offering a strong incentive for the private operator to persist in difficult waters. Critics worry it could create pressure on the company to interpret uncertain findings optimistically, though there is no suggestion of that at this stage.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, performance‑based contracts of this kind are rare in commercial aviation incidents but can make political sense when governments face strong public pressure and limited budgets. Malaysian officials have repeatedly said they want to keep the door open to new technology and analysis without committing unlimited public money to an open‑ended search.

Why Ocean Infinity was chosen

The choice of Ocean Infinity reflects the government’s thinking about cost‑efficiency and capability.

• The company specializes in deep‑sea operations and has worked on other complex underwater missions.
• Its task for MH370 is to perform months of slow, methodical seabed scanning, map findings, and propose objects for close inspection.
• The technical details are not all public, but the broad outline involves advanced scanning tools operating over a large, previously studied zone.

Scientific basis for the search area

The search area off Western Australia reflects years of earlier investigative work and ocean science:

• Experts studied possible flight paths, satellite data, and currents to estimate likely debris drift.
• Oceanographic analysis then helped narrow down where a large object, such as an aircraft fuselage, might rest on the seabed.
• The current 15,000‑sq‑km target zone grows directly from that chain of prior studies, not from a completely new theory about MH370’s final hours.

Human and political dimensions

For families of those on board, each announcement of renewed activity brings a mix of hope and exhaustion. Many have spent more than a decade waiting for firm answers.

• Some families want a clear technical explanation of what happened.
• Others primarily want remains recovered and a place to mourn.
• The difference between a paused search and an active one is emotional as much as technical; it affects how families plan their lives and how they explain the disappearance to younger relatives.

Officials in Kuala Lumpur are aware MH370’s fate still shapes Malaysia’s image abroad. The handling of the first search after 2014 drew intense scrutiny. By structuring the latest mission as a “no find, no fee” deal, the government can:

• Tell domestic and international audiences it remains open to serious efforts.
• Insist on clear results before paying out public money.

The Ministry of Transport has framed the new push as a continuation rather than a reset and posts official updates via Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport.

Operational realities and accountability

Much of the work happens out of public view: in planning rooms, data centers, and aboard survey vessels on the Indian Ocean. The up‑to‑18‑month timeframe means answers are unlikely to be quick.

• Each seabed patch must be scanned, mapped, and checked again.
• Teams decide whether an area is clear or whether an object needs closer inspection.

The renewed search highlights the growing role of private companies in tasks once seen as the domain of national authorities. In this case:

• Malaysia sets terms, defines the reward, and approves the plan.
• A commercial operator brings deep‑sea tools and specialized teams.

Supporters see this as a practical division of labor. Others worry that important decisions about where to look and when to stop may shift too far from public accountability, especially when families and the wider public are desperate for progress.

Whether Ocean Infinity’s “no find, no fee” mission finally locates MH370 or ends as another chapter in a long, painful search, the outcome will shape how this story is told for years to come.

For now, the basic facts remain unchanged: a missing flight, 239 people who never made it home, and a government that is not yet ready to declare the case closed.