The Malaysian government’s decision to sign a new contract with Ocean Infinity to re-launch searches to locate the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 for flight MH370 that mysteriously disappeared 10 years ago in March 2014 while carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

The agreement with the company that conducted the previous – unsuccessful – search in 2018 provides for payment only if Ocean Infinity presents reliable evidence of the plane’s wreckage. Otherwise, the $70 million stipulated in the agreement will not be paid.

“We hope that the investigations this time will have a happy outcome, the wreckage will be located and the case will be closed for the families of the passengers and crew,” said Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Locke.

The survey this time will last 18 months and will be carried out on the seabed over an area of 15,000 square kilometers, although the Malaysian minister would not say where this area is.

According to him, Malaysia has evaluated data on this area from several experts and the private company, so he hopes that this time the chances of finding the debris are better.

The 495-page report compiled in 2018 on the disappearance of flight MH370 said there was sabotage of the Boeing 777’s control systems to cause it to go off course but the authors could not conclude who was responsible, referring for the final conclusion to the examination of the debris if and when it is found.