THE BLUE AND WHITE

On January 23, 2026, Ocean Infinity returned to the Southern Indian Ocean after 8 years of inactivity to re-embark on the search for MH370. 

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, also known as MAS370 or MH370, vanished without a trace on March 8, 2014. The entire airplane, including all 227 passengers and 12 crew, met an unknown fate, and remains the deadliest and most mysterious disappearance of an aircraft. 

On route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport, the last contact was made at 01:19 MYT on the 8th, when it acknowledged the order to contact Ho Chi Minh for the next leg of its flight. However, 1 minute and 43 seconds later, both public transponders turned off and MH370 turned back towards the Strait of Malacca. Military radar based in Malaysia tracked it for an hour to the Andaman Sea, until it exited its coverage area. 

Initial search aircraft from international fleets scoured the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, until its satellite communications (SATCOM) records were analyzed. A ground station in Perth sent hourly automatic status requests to MH370, which allowed investigators to derive the distance between MH370 and the closest satellite at hourly intervals. Thus, they calculated an arc that contained all the likely positions for MH370’s presumed crash landing, when it inevitably ran out of fuel. 

Unexpectedly, a piece of an airplane’s flaperon was found on the beach of Réunion on July 29, 2015. The serial numbers traced it to MH370, making it the first tangible piece of evidence of a crash. Many more pieces were found on the East coast of Africa, washed there by the currents over a period of a year. 

However, investigations by the Malaysian Police did not yield any clear suspects, motives, or conclusions. This left the grieving families in emotional limbo, with no closure about their loved ones. Many communities found their own ways of honouring them.

Thus, Ocean Infinity made its much anticipated return to the search area in 2026. Armed with new technologies, its confidence was clear when it signed a “no find, no fee” deal with Malaysia: they will only receive up to $70 million in payment if they actually locate the Boeing 777’s wreckage. This new search strategy is based on simulation reconstructions of the debris’ paths from the crash to Eastern Africa, which revealed a new and yet to be searched area. Additionally, new uncrewed swarms of autonomous underwater vessels with high-resolution imaging can cover ground more efficiently and accurately. 

Unfortunately by March 8, 2026, Ocean Infinity published an official press release announcing their termination of the search. They have now spent more than 150 days mapping 140, 000 square kilometers of seafloor since 2018, and have yet to find a trace of the wreckage. The CEO, Oliver Plunkett, commented, “If nothing else, we can say with confidence that it isn’t where we looked. That matters – it brings clarity, and it will help those continuing to study the evidence refine their thinking and shape future search strategies. Although this phase of the search has concluded, our commitment has not. We’re continuing to work with the Malaysian Government in the hope of being able to return when circumstances allow.” Thus, MH370 remains the largest unsolved mystery in aviation history, for now.