Ocean Infinity presented a new MH370 underwater search proposal to Anthony Loke, the Malaysian Minister of Transport in Kuala Lumpur on 2nd May 2024. Anthony Loke said that based on discussions held on Thursday, the company had submitted a proposal paper along with evidence and information for examination by the relevant parties under his ministry.
Josh Broussard, the Chief Technology Officer, of Ocean Infinity led the team making the presentation, together with their Commercial Manager.
Pete Foley, the former ATSB search director, also attended the meeting in Malaysia. Pete has been campaigning for a new search for several years and is advising Ocean Infinity on the new search.
Prof. Simon Maskell, from Liverpool University, is a scientific advisor to Ocean Infinity and was also in attendance at the meeting. Simon leads a team investigating the possibility of using WSPR to detect and track aircraft. Simon plans to add the WSPR data to the particle filter developed by the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) described in their book titled “Bayesian Methods in the Search for MH370” in order to refine the new MH370 search area.
The new search for MH370 is expected to start in November 2024. Anthony Loke said the whole process of examining the new proposal, including cabinet approval would take about three months. Two representatives of the Association for Families of the Passengers and Crew on board MH370 also attended the meeting. The Association welcomed the new proposal and thanked everyone involved.
What are each of the theories regarding each of the hotspots/search areas? Can somone explain please?
@Jesse Greg Tulloch,
a. IG Hotspot.
The Final Resting Place of MH370 (UGIB) Report (186 pages).
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3byyjnkt4awaig4823twc/The-Final-Resting-Place-of-MH370-7th-March-2020.pdf?rlkey=l8lmseog6glwjm0bcr1yjda8t&dl=0
Improved Prediction of MH370 Crash Location Based on Drift Modelling of Floating Debris (89 pages).
https://mh370.radiantphysics.com/2024/03/05/ocean-infinity-proposes-new-search-for-mh370/
b. Captain Patrick Blelly and Jean- Luc Marchand.
Analysis of the trajectory of Flight MH370 (91 pages).
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tuuy16ajuq2bvhjtnve6u/Blelly-Marchand-Analysis-of-the-trajectory-of-Flight-MH370.pdf?rlkey=evvxl25crqmdm4knmkustu3cs&e=1&dl=0
c. WSPR Hotspot.
MH370 Flight Path Analysis Case Study (232 pages).
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nn3eedtd9ew15f81n2xx7/MH370-Flight-Path-Analaysis-31st-August-2023.pdf?rlkey=c72bo3kc2vv74swr3wll3e4j9&e=1&dl=0
any thoughts as to why the pilot made so many turns before arriving at destination?.
if it was myself I’m sure I’d just go in a straight line as far south as possible?
what would be the point of these turns?
@Dave,
Welcome to the blog!
This question has been asked many times, so you are not alone with this view,
Essentially, flying in a straight line makes it much easier for investigators to work out the location of fuel exhaustion.
If other aircraft observed you and reported you to ATC at location X and heading Y, then each report would show a different heading and help to hide your actual destination.
@All,
Here is short report on the observation of an unidentified aircraft by Captain Martyn Smith:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gp9cecm9ra8imvf/MH370%20-%20New%20Evidence.pdf?dl=0
Richard – thank you for the report, seems to me two important issues:
(1) Is this a valid/confirmed eyewitness sighting of MH370? If so this sighting potentially answers a lot of questions. For this question, we would want to ask if others in the cockpit saw this plane? Is the pilot confirmed to be on this flight? Are the incident reports confirmed? Right now it certainly seems like the flight paths were indeed potentially close to each other.
(2) Can we learn anything specific re: MH370 flight path? This of course requires EL407 position vs. time data and some detail on when/how the sighting was made.
@TBill,
Captain Martyn Smith is a valid eyewitness and confirmed as the pilot of EK407 on 7th March 2014. The flight of the Airbus A380 registration A6-EDB is confirmed on this date in his pilot’s log book.
We have asked Emirates for any information on the Airbus A380 registration A6-EDB on this date, that they may have in their archive, either operations, engineering or the safety department.
We are particularly interested in ACARS position reports over the Indian Ocean and the Incident Report of the unidentified aircraft’s incursion into the airspace designated by ATC for flight EK407.
Hi Richard,
Interesting to the new evidence from EK407 7th March 2014.
I note in the conclusions in your short report on the observation that it is a potential significant milestone on the accuracy of WSPR tracking with regards to MH370’s route that night.
I think, in my opinion, what could be an even bigger milestone is that if the ACARS data is released to you by Emirates and it shows that your tracking of EK407 to be accurate, then that would be a huge boost for WSPR would it not? The fact that actual ACARS data lines up with WSPR would really make the WSPR search area the front runner for the search, if it wasn’t already. Would you agree?
Best,
Louis
@Louis,
That is exactly why we have requested the Emirates data from their archives.
This is great to hear. Do you anticipate that Emirates will share the ACARS data with you? What sort of process is involved in obtaining the data?
@Louis,
I am hopeful, as long as Emirates maintain an archive going back 11 years and for an aircraft that they scrapped on 27th October 2020, 4 years ago.
The process is asking a friend of a friend, who is well connected in the airline.
@Richard,
Is Armada 7806 heading towards a new hotspot area? ( I hope it would be WSPR area)
I thought Armada 7806 is done searching at IG area)
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthHdnc8t7g
Some commentators have questioned the authenticity of Captain Martyn Smith and whether he really was flying EK407 from Melbourne to Dubai on 7th March 2014.
According to FlightAware flight EK407 departed the gate in Melbourne on 7th March 2014 at 11:47 PM AEDT and arrived in Dubai on the 8th March 2014 at 06:46 AM +4 (local time Dubai).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dknyfiv34fpyb1i/FA%20EK407%2007MAR2014%20Flight%20Delayed.png?dl=0
Captain Martyn Smith has shared an extract from his pilot log book, which he fills in at the end of every flight.
The entry for the 8th March 2014 shows that he flew aircraft type A388, registration A6-EDB from Melbourne (MEL) to Dubai (DXB) as Augmenting (Aug.) Co-Pilot with 7:05 night flying hours. There were 4 pilot’s on board, 2 in the cockpit and 2 resting in the bunks.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/02c9emvqftellmq/Captain%20Martyn%20Smith%20Log%20Book%20Extract.png?dl=0
Was it A6-EDB or A6-EDO? The FlightAware URL that I’ve managed to retrive shows A6-EDO, not A6-EDB
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/A6EDO/history/20140307/1125Z/YMML/OMDB
@Muhamad S.,
Captain Martyn Smith reports, as shown in his log book, that they flew A6-EDO on 6th March 2014 from Dubai to Melbourne, but they flew A6-EDB on 7th March 2014 from Melbourne to Dubai.
FlightAware just assumed that it was the same aircraft for both flights.
Ah nvm, I’ve confused the flights. Here is the FlightAware URL for A6-EDB for its 7th March departure.
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/A6EDB/history/20140308/1125Z/YMML/OMDB
But if he was flying EK 407 that departed Melbourne on the 8th of March which departed at 10pm Melbourne time, how would have have spotted MH 370? From my recollection, MH 370 departed KUL in the very early hours of March 8th, 42 mins past Midnight. But if the Captain piloted EK 407 which departed at 10pm Melbourne, MH 370 would have already crashed. So it seems there is some discrepancy between the flights.
@Muhamad S.,
You are getting yourself confused with aircraft registrations and time zones.
Emirates have bought 151 Airbus A380 aircraft and currently operate 150 Airbus A380 aircraft. The one Airbus A380 aircraft that they scrapped on 27th October 2020 was registration A6-EDB, because it was too expensive to maintain and was retired early.
Their Airbus A380 aircraft have the registrations A6-EDA to A6-EDZ, A6-EEA to A6-EEZ, A6-EFA to A6-EFZ, A6-EGA to A6-EGZ, A6-EHA to A6-EHL, A6-EUA to EUZ and A6-EVA to EVS.
It is perfectly possible that Emirates use different aircraft for the outbound and inbound legs, if there is scheduled maintenance or a repair required.
1. Captain Martyn Smith flew A6-EDO from Dubai departing on 06 MAR 2014 and arriving in Melbourne on 06 MAR 2014 with 13:20 pilot flying hours.
2. Captain Martyn Smith flew A6-EDB from Melbourne departing on 07 MAR 2014 (departure 23:47 local time, 12:47 UTC) and arriving in Dubai on 08 MAR 2014 (arrival 06:46 local time, 02:46 UTC) with 07:05 pilot flying hours.
3. Captain Martyn Smith did not fly A6-EDB from Melbourne departing on 08 MAR 2014 (departure 22:20 local time, 11:20 UTC) and arriving in Dubai on 09 MAR 2014 (arrival 05:29 local time, 01:29 UTC), because on 08 MAR he was already in Dubai and not Melbourne.
But his own logbook states that he departed Melbourne on the 8th rather than the 7th. If he flew EK 407 the 7th of March, then it would correlate with MH 370 crossing the Indian Ocean and the FlightAware data for EK 407 which shows that it was A6-EDO. Remember that both EK 407 depart at approx 10 pm Melbourne time. However, his logbook states he flew MEL-DXB on the 8th, which correlates with the FlightAware data that states it was A6-EDB that flew EK 407 on the 8th of March. I have made the following tables for those flights with the necessary times for Dubai, Melbourne, and UTC.
Emirates, EK 406, Dubai to Melbourne, 13 hours 25 minutes, A6-EDO, A380-800, 06 MARCH 2014
– 10:10 DEP (DXB/OMDB 06 MARCH 2014) (06:10 UTC 06 MARCH 2014) (17:10 MEL 06 MARCH 2014)
– 06:35 ARR (MEL/YMML 07 MARCH 2014) (19:35 UTC 06 MARCH 2014) (23:35 DXB 06 MARCH 2014)
Emirates, EK 407, Melbourne to Dubai, 13 hours 55 minutes, A6-EDO, A380-800, 07 MARCH 2014
– 22:25 DEP (MEL/YMML 07 MARCH 2014) (11:25 UTC 07 MARCH 2014) (15:25 DXB 07 MARCH 2014)
– 05:30 ARR (DXB/OMDB 08 MARCH 2014) (01:30 UTC 08 MARCH 2014) (12:30 DXB 08 MARCH 2014)
Emirates, EK 407, Melbourne to Dubai, 13 hours 55 minutes, A6-EDB, A380-800, 08 MARCH 2014
– 22:25 DEP (MEL/YMML 07 MARCH 2014) (11:25 UTC 07 MARCH 2014) (15:25 DXB 07 MARCH 2014)
– 05:30 ARR (DXB/OMDB 08 MARCH 2014) (01:30 UTC 08 MARCH 2014) (12:30 DXB 08 MARCH 2014)
Captain Smith would have flown the exact same airframe he flew into Melbourne when he sighted MH 370 if he left on the 7th of March.
With point # 2, the data from my “Flighty” account shows that EK 407 did in fact depart Melbourne at 23:47, 1 hour and 22 minutes late, and arrive in Dubai at 06:46, 1 hour 16 minutes late.
Also by the way, Emirates only has 116 A380s currently, with 7 scrapped/retired and that includes A6-EDB. This is not the point I want to make but just as a correction as Emirates infamously changed their A380 order for A350s and A330NEOs in c. 2019 which spelt the end for the A380 programme as a whole.
@Muhammad S.,
You are even more confused, than I thought.
You don’t fill out a pilot log book, before a flight, because you don’t know how many flying hours there will actually be.
As I tried to explain to you, but obviously failed, the date of entry in the log book is 8th March, because that is when the aircraft arrived on 8th March.
The aircraft you are suggesting arrived on the 9th March and that doesn’t fit your meanwhile ridiculous and repeated stance.
I also tried to explain to you that there were 2 crews (4 pilots) on board and on the 7th March, Captain Martyn was the augmenting pilot and only flew for 7:05 and not the whole flight.
Your assumption that Captain Smith would have flown the exact same airframe he flew into Melbourne, is obviously false and contradicted by the evidence of his log book.
You are also wrong about the number of Airbus A380 in operation. 116 aircraft was the original orders with the A6-EDA to A6-EDZ, A6-EEA to A6-EEZ, A6-EFA to A6-EFZ, A6-EGA to A6-EGZ, A6-EHA to A6-EHL registrations (26 + 26 + 26 + 26+ 12 =116) . You are missing the A6-EUA to EUZ and A6-EVA to EVS.
@Muhammad S.
It appears you were right all along on this matter…
Disappointing that this sighting can no longer be MH370 but hopefully ACARS data will still come from Emirates.
@Louis,
The times in @Muhamad’s comment above are all scheduled times and not actual times.
@All,
Here is a statement from Captain Martyn Smith:
I am very pleased that there appears to be data confirming what I saw that night. I take your point about the sceptics; however, view it in light of what was known at the time. When we landed in DXB and learned that Malaysian had a missing 777, we discounted that straight away. It had departed KL (guessing off the top of my head at least 7-800 nm from our track and bound for Beijing, going completely the wrong way for what we had seen! There hasn’t been a navigation cock-up like that since ‘one-way Corrigan’ landed in Ireland!!
At the time it was presumed crashed in the South China Sea and there were reports of fire on the water, wreckage, witnesses etc – all of which eventually were discounted. But the search there continued. Gradually, after what seemed a long time, Inmarsat began to espouse the idea that it had turned and that it may be on either a northern or a southern arc. This all seemed very theoretical at the time but gradually began to crystallise into a theory that it had gone south.
In the meantime, I occasionally read of these theories but was busy in my day to day flying routine. Quite suddenly I was taken very seriously ill with Pancreatic Cancer and then spent a year fighting for my life, having had a whipple operation, 12 days in intensive care, been on life-support for 24 hours and followed by weeks in a hospital ward. Frankly, 370 could not have been further from my mind. I then was followed up with 6 months of intensive chemotherapy. I was told that I had a 2% chance of living to see the next 10 years.
Once that ordeal had stabilised, I was again reminded of 370 when wreckage began to appear in Reunion. The drift analysis seemed to me, at least, to have proved that 370 had indeed gone south and crashed. There seemed little point in raising my voice to say that I had seen an unknown aircraft with no definite position to give. I felt that my information was of little or no value and I did indeed wonder myself what the sceptics would say! My information had been superseded, or so I thought.
Recently, however, the mentour pilot site hosted a video that made mention of Richards work with the WSPR technology and it seemed that he was onto something. I thus wondered if my flight could also be tracked and would this be of any use and hence contacted petter. That was some months back. It didn’t appear to go anywhere, so when I learned of the new search underway, I sought Richard out myself and managed to make contact just this week. The results appear to be very interesting and appear on the face of it to corroborate what I saw.
It was all rather unfortunate how slowly the theories took to come out and to solidify into something more concrete, coupled with my serious illness running at the same time. I had bigger fish to fry than to worry about what happened to that jet at the time. Recovery was a long and difficult process and when I was fit enough, I just assumed that since I had no actual proof, who would believe my late call?
Hope that all makes sense to you. I am interested to see how this all unfolds and can only hope that my contribution can help refine the search area for the wreckage. Bring the sceptics on, I know what I saw.
It is confirmed beyond doubt that Captain Martyn Smith is a reliable witness and it is likely that the plane he saw was indeed MH370.
That gives a lateral position (accuracy 50nm), an altitude (accuracy 1000 ft) and a time 20:10 (accuracy a few minutes). Please correct me if I am wrong with the accuracies.
It is likely MH370 was at 37,500 or 38,500 ft and EK407 at 38,000 at around 20:10 UTC March 7th, my best guess based on earlier and later ADS-B data.
Given the minimum distance between EK407 and MH370 being probably 40-50 nm, it is unlikely that captain Smith would have been able to estimate the exact altitude of MH370. It probably appeared at more or less the same FL.
Even without the ACARS messages this is already very exciting news.
I expect Emirates will require an official request from either Malaysian, Chinese or Australian authorities.
But let’s hope they have the messages and that they are willing to share them without bureaucracy.
To Captain Smith, you explained well and clear what happened with your observation and why it took so many years. Many thanks for that.
I am very glad that you won the battle with the cancer. Most of all for you and your family, but also that you were able to add an import piece to the MH370 puzzle. I wish you well and many thanks for not giving up.
Thank you for your information and for working with Richard Godfrey. It is quite admirable and serves long term flight safety. You have nothing at all to explain. The hijacking was well planned and very deceptive. I know how chemotherapy goes and still doing it. Take care. Thank you
@Richard Can you comment on this
https://www.reddit.com/r/MH370/comments/1j5x33g/did_ek407_see_mh370_an_update/?rdt=61683
Says that Captain Smith’s logbook records him on a flight a day later, not the one that could have crossed paths with MH370x
@Naji,
Welcome to the blog!
I fully agree with the analysis on reddit.com, to which you refer.
In our preliminary report on Captain Martyn Smith’s observation, we said that we were awaiting corroborating evidence from Emirates in the form of ACARS position reports or other flight operations data or incident report. We still have not received any official report.
We also have asked ATC Australia for any report of an incident involving flight EK407 and an incursion of an unidentified flight into their airspace.
We have also asked for the contact details of all pilots on EK407 on 7th/8th March 2014 as well as all pilots on EK407 on 8th/9th March 2014.
At the moment we are still waiting for any official response and have been told that it may take several days.
Without any corroborating evidence, we refuse to speculate or produce a final report.
If Captain Martyn Smith was not on EK407 on 7th/8th March 2014, then did the pilot’s on EK407 see an unidentified MH370 in their air space?
If Captain Martyn Smith was on EK407 on 8th/9th March 2014, then he could not have seen MH370, so what aircraft did he see?
As pigdead states in his comment on reddit.com: “Its also very bizarre that this occurred just after MH370 had disappeared.”
@Richard Thanks for your reply. That is very honest of you. I agree that more information is needed from Emirates and Captain Smith.
11 years is a long time ago and I’m not questioning Captain Smith’s or your integrity.
We just need to hope that OI can find MH370 and recover the black boxes.
Assuming this new evidence to be wholly valid and credible – can the timings of crossing of paths of these two aircraft including the best assessment of altitude etc help to further pinpoint where to search on the ocean. This is crux – what can be determined from this ?
@Richard
I have red the theories about the plane being near the Maledives. What do you think about this theory and why is it wrong? Of course the Inmasat data then would be incorrect. But since its never been done before there is a possibility of failures I guess…
Why is the destination Armada 78 06 Jakarta with arrival on March 12th?
@All,
Armada 7806 is departing Fremantle for Cape Town, South Africa.
So does that mean the search is called off?
I notice the AIS says that but the fremantle ports says its next port is still coming back to Fremantle?
Maybe to throw people off the scent…
It changes every few minutes.
Someone playing with the AIS menus on the bridge ?
@All,
Both the data from the Fremantle Ports Authority and the Armada 7806 AIS are unreliable as they keep changing.
The departure of Armada 7806 was originally 6th March 07:00, then it was moved to 7th March, then to 8th March and today back to 6th March 16:00.
Armada 7806 is underway and has left Fremantle, Australia on 6th March 2025 at 16:00 local time (08:00 UTC).
The next destination on Armada 7806 AIS at 06:29 UTC was Jakarta, Indonesia.
The next destination on Armada 7806 AIS at 07:26 UTC was Cape Town, South Africa, arriving on 21st March, which was later updated to 23rd February.
The next destination on Armada 7806 AIS at 08:39 UTC was Cape Town with an unknown ETA.
@Richard,
This is incredibly disheartening news, if this indicates the search has been called off? Is there any update on this at all?
@Sam,
The MH370 search has not been called off. Armada 7806 is on its way back to the MH370 search area for an unspecified time up to 17 days in duration.
Armada 7806 will take 4 days back to the MH370 search area arriving 10th March 2025 late evening.
Armada 7806 will have up to 17 days in the MH370 search area, before having to leave for Cape Town, South Africa, latest by 27th March 2025.
Armada 7806 will take 14 days to Cape Town arriving sometime before 10th April 2025, depending on the actual departure time from the MH370 search area.
@Richard,
Thank you as ever for your prompt reply, it is very much appreciated by us all. A huge sigh of relief, that is for sure!
Is it to be presumed then that the search will conclude towards the end of April when Armada 7806 arrives at Cape Town? If so, was this timeframe expected given the remaining 3 hot-spot areas to search?
On a separate note, do we know the hot-spot area that Armada is now en-route to?
Thank you again for your incredible work and commitment to keeping us all apprised of the situation, Richard. It is very much appreciated.
I must say right away that I am not at all familiar with the procedures and protocol during parking. However, did the crew of Armada 78 06 leave the ship, communicate with someone in the port? Did they discuss something that is not a secret for Ocean Infinity with the port staff, which could at least partially tell about their plans and attitude to the search for MH370? Were they encouraged to continue, or were they disappointed by the lack of a contract or the end of the search season? As far as I understand, Geoffrey Thomas was there recently. Besides, as far as I remember, you yourself showed the Perth Fremantle schedule and it was explicitly stated there that their destination after March 6 was “SEA”
@All,
Armada 7806 is returning to the same part of the MH370 search area, that it left 7 days ago on 28th February 2025:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/th61lwkl07w53b5/Armada%207806%20Vessel%20Finder%2006MAR2025%201201%20UTC.png?dl=0
Cape Town port authority list all ships expected to arrive in the next 30 days and Armada 7806 is not on that list.
Is there any contradiction with the fact that the arrival time in Cape Town is set for March 24? If these deadlines reflect their real plans, then they obviously won’t stop in the search area. In addition to the fact that the port of arrival is now indicated. Which is the big argument: AIS data or the list of expected ships in Cape Town? Thank you for keeping us informed!
@Richard,
Can you please share web link for Cape Town – Port Authority list?
@Ben John,
Welcome to the blog!
The general website I use for port arrivals is Vessel Finder.
The link for Cape Town is:
https://www.vesselfinder.com/pro/map#port-details?id=ZACPT001
Armada 7806 was not showing yesterday when the vessel left Fremantle, but is showing now,
Thanks @Richard
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD8hj97GBs4
In today’s report we cover the departure of Armada 7806 from Fremantle back to the MH370 search area.
We present further evidence in the form of an extract from Captain Martyn Smith’s log book and discuss the statement he published on this website.
We answer viewer’s questions about the flight path of MH370 and how WSPR works in detail.
@Jafni,
You ask: “Is Armada 7806 heading towards a new hotspot area? I thought Armada 7806 is done searching at IG area.”
As previously mentioned, the Armada 7806 AIS is unreliable, as it keeps changing.
Currently Armada 7806 is following a track back to the MH370 search area:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ywiz8du3ctwzjgf/Armada%207806%20Vessel%20Finder%2006MAR2025%201523%20UTC.png?dl=0
The IG High Priority Area (HPA) is only 30.5 km2 and has been searched.
As previously mentioned, although the IG HPA is only 30.5 km2, I expect OI will cover a much larger area, than just the HPA.
Ocean Infinity continued to search from the IG area further South towards the Blelly/Marchand area before leaving the MH370 search area on 28th February.
@Richard
Is there any ANNIVERSARY vigil or family gathering taking place on March 8th 2025? I appreciate this may be difficult to know.
I’d be interested to see if Ocean Infinity, or Malaysia, makes any public statements.
My candle will be lit.
@Will,
There has been no announcement from the Association for Families of the Passengers and Crew on board MH370.
@Edward,
You ask: “Is there any contradiction with the fact that the arrival time in Cape Town is set for March 24?”
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cyg7comqtckc4zw/Armada%207806%20Vessel%20Finder%2006MAR2025%201503%20UTC.png?dl=0
There are two contradictions:
1. Armada 7806 is not currently heading in the direction of Cape Town (the route marked in red) on the map linked above.
2. Armada 7806 at the current speed of 9.3 knots will only arrive in Cape Town on 27th March 2025 and not as you mention 24th March.
@Richard – amazing work, Thanks again for all the positive updates on the search! Not sure if this was asked/answered before, but now that 1st round of search has been done by Armada 7806, and 2nd one hopefully starting in next few days, when will we get to hear any official updates from the Ocean Infinity? any interim report expected OR is this too early to ask/expect an update given that the contract has not been signed? Thanks again!!
@Pradeep,
Welcome to the blog!
In the previous search, there were weekly official reports giving the search area covered, search area planned, any points of interest detected and a weather forecast for the search area.
In the current search, there have not been any official reports.
Richard Godfrey, I’ve never had much to contribute except praise for your work over the years.
But I just wanted to give you praise once again and say that there’s many of us who read your work, but don’t have anything to complain about, so we don’t have much to say. Thank you
@Bard,
Welcome to the blog and many thanks for your kind words!
I am pleased, that you don’t have anything to complain about.
I cannot help but feel this seems to be a shorter search than I expected, why might this be?
@Jesse Tulloch,
We have asked Ocean Infinity, what there current plans are, but we have received no reply.
Journalists I know have put in media requests and are being told by Ocean Infinity, that they are not making any statements at this time.
Journalist asked the crew of Armada 7806 in Fremantle recently and were told, “we are not saying anything”.
Reason why Ocean Infinity is not making any statements is, according to me, that they still hope to get a signed contract with the Malaysian government.
As long as there is no contract, they have no obligation to anyone and can do what they want.
Their silence may put some pressure on the Malaysian government to sign the contract.
If they find the plane they will be in a good position to negotiate a salvage contract.
Dear Richard,
You guys are doing an amazing work – keep it up.
What happened to the data collected by AUVs in the first part of search? Have they started analyzing it or it will be done after the whole search is completed?
@Manoj Tiwari,
Welcome to the blog and many thanks for the kind words.
The full data is recovered at the end of the AUV run and transmitted by satellite to the Remote Control Centre (RCC) in Southampton, UK. Ocean Infinity has several RCCs around the world in UK, Sweden, Australia and another is planned in Singapore. The data is analysed by a team of experts and any points of interest are then communicated back to Armada 7806.
Armada 7806 will already have the initial results from the first 3 AUV launches.
Richard, did you ever think about trying to set up your own search with one of these oceanic companies? I think they might only need some days or a week even for covering the WSPR area. Sure this will cost a fortune though but maybe we could try and raise it through fundraising? Did you ever have plans in that direction?
@Cessi
To be honest, I am also looking forward for the search to start in the WSPR hotspot area..
I guess we have to be patience..
@Cessi,
With Ocean Infinity being willing to fund a search for MH370, I felt it was not necessary to launch an alternative.
If Ocean Infinity are successful, then it will be a great moment.
I know that Deep Sea Vision and aqua satellite are also both interested to search for MH370 in the WSPR area.
I also know of a millionaire philanthropist, who is willing to fund a search, if Ocean Infinity conclude their proposed 18 month contract without success.
@Richard
Great to hear that you have an alternativ in mind. I am sure a lot of people are waiting for OI to go to the WSPR zone and I hope they soon will.
Also just curious because I am german, since you live in Germany, do you also speak german?
@Cessi,
I speak German, French and Spanish, but keep to English on the website.
If you are in Baunatal on 30th August 2025 the German Amateur Radio Society has a major event, where they have asked me to speak on WSPR.
The event is called: Ein Fest für den Amateurfunk – 75 Jahre DARC e.V.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcgs8t5qY8
MH370 took off on 7th March at 16:42 UTC, 11 years ago today. In today’s episode we remember those lost on board MH370 and tragedy affecting the relatives and friends left behind.
We take a look at the lack of any public statement by either Malaysia or Ocean Infinity on the search for MH370 and discuss the difference between the official information and the actual information.
@Richard
Thank you for the heads up for the upcoming event in Baunautal. I saved this in my mobile calendar so if I have time I will definitly go there. If there are upcoming any other public events or public meetings with you let me know or maybe you could post it on your website as I think there are a lot of people who would love to meet you and chat with you about all the theories.
On reddit I read that some people are thinking that Armada might already have found the debris field few days ago and is now heading towards south africa to get the equipment they need for taking it out of the water. What do you think of this? And what will happen if they find the wreckage? Do they have the equipment to recover it from the sea floor?
@Cessi,
When you take a look at the equipment on the Armada 7806, it is difficult to imagine what equipment they do not already have on board.
Here are 4 different views of the deck.
Bow View.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v0d0xj7p936izy7/Armada%207806%20Deck%20View%20Bow.png?dl=0
Beam View.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/by90j0wbjcmijgh/Armada%207806%20Deck%20View%20Beam.png?dl=0
Aft View.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f4m5tafdzoyon18/Armada%207806%20Deck%20View%20Aft.png?dl=0
Overhead View.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kbnvrxswub2xkzm/Armada%207806%20Deck%20View%20Overhead.png?dl=0
If Ocean Infinity has already found the MH370 wreckage, then the next step is to map out the debris field, take photographs and videos. Armada 7806 is well equipped for both search and recovery.
Many years ago I was trained (PPLM) to fly a figure of eight pattern during emergency landing due to engine failure. If I had noticed a particularly suitable field but realised I was way too high to make it, I would pick two markers on the ground and weave around them, descending. Once at a suitable altitude I would emerge from the centre of the 8 directly in line with the chosen area. I wonder if something like this was involved with the figure of eights described by WSPR? Could it have been an attempt to ditch the aircraft at very specific preplanned coordinates, in order to try to hide it at the bottom of a deep seafloor fissure? Admittedly my aircraft was as different from an airliner as it gets, but maybe the principle would still stand.
@Nginmu,
Welcome to the blog!
I had the same training, when I received my Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) for a single engine aircraft, if for example you have an engine failure and want to return to the departure airport, but still have too much altitude to land there, the various procedures you follow to lose altitude and still line up into the wind to perform an emergency landing. You aviate, navigate, then communicate. The aviate will mean some sort of circular route to lose altitude at the appropriate rate and the navigate will mean you try to line yourself up to a landing approach into the wind and finally the communicate will be a May Day call.
I also have a glider pilot’s licence and the procedure if you cannot release the tow cable is to fly in circles with the cable still attached getting lower and lower until you can land back in the airfield near to the winch.
In the case of MH370, my view is that the pilot was checking if any shipping was in the vicinity. It is much more difficult to have a preselected and precise location and make an emergency landing on the ocean surface to fit exactly.
Thanks for your reply Richard. I found a map of those final WSPR points late on last night and indeed the lack of any significant canyons in the area, and the direction of exit from the ‘8’ don’t really make sense to fit my thoughts.
Hi Richard, from the WSPR it is predicted the plane crashed at 00:27 UTC which would have been around 7:27am west of Australia. The sun would have risen by then. Why would the pilot risk being seen & crash in daylight when he could have done it in the dark over the water?
@Zim,
Welcome to the blog!
If the pilot was planning to do a soft ditching in the Indian Ocean with wave heights typically around 2m to 3m, then day light would help to see the wave pattern during an emergency ditching.
My candle is burning, remembering 239 lives onboard MH370.
Due to Armada 78 06, vast time is spent contemplating 9M-MRO’s airframe. Science, logistics.
Please retain and shift perspective, contemplating lives behind the aluminum.
Flight envelopes are abused when avionics are told differently.
My candle will remain lit until 00.19 UTC.
@Will,
Many thanks for your comment. My candle was burning too.
New blog post from KS Narendran regarding the contract delay:
https://linesabouttimes.wordpress.com/2025/03/07/mh370-will-the-search-finally-resume/
@Duncan,
Many thanks for sharing the post from KS Narendran: “MH370: Will the Search Finally Resume?”
He says: “It is now 11 years since MH370 vanished. The search for the plane is expected to resume. But, contracting delays could jeopardise the effort and feed frustration.”
I wholeheartedly support the statement from KS Narendran, who lost his wife on MH370.
Regarding the potential sticking points he suggests, I think this one is the killer:
“1. The 15,000-kilometre search area: Why this needs to be spelt out as a boundary condition is unclear if payouts are linked to outcomes, namely, finding the plane.”
It’s not just unclear; it’s completely unacceptable in a no-find, no-fee contract.
If the Malaysians are indeed trying to restrict the search area it would explain both why there is no contract, and why the Malaysians haven’t revealed this to be the reason. How could they possibly justify such a restriction to the world at large, let alone the next of kin?
The meaning of limiting the search area as a contractual requirement is completely unclear to me. It looks as if they know the approximate crash site and want to guarantee for themselves that the plane will not be found in the proposed search area (yes, conspiracy theory, but the situation has taken such a turn). I only understand the time limit – Malaysia is really not ready to promise that it will be able to pay $70 million in a few years, because a lot can happen during this time (a banal economic crisis). And I also don’t understand the requirements of reliable evidence, I think that only Ocean Infinity, risking their money, can decide what is reliable and what is not.
Blessed memory of 239 passengers and crew members. We haven’t forgotten you.
@All,
Malaysia has now committed publicly to signing the agreement with Ocean Infinity, according to this press report:
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/03/08/mh370-transport-ministry-finalising-deal-for-new-search-in-indian-ocean-backed-by-us-and-australian-agencies/168941#google_vignette
“The ministry acknowledges the high public interest in this search effort and is actively finalising the new search agreement in accordance with the Malaysian government’s procedures.”
No Richard, Malaysia has NOT yet signed the agreement with Ocean Infinity. The Ministry of Transport says in its press release today: “Recognising the considerable public interest in this renewed search, we are working diligently towards finalising the new search agreement in accordance to the Government of Malaysia’s procedures.”
@Annette Gartland,
Welcome to the blog!
I stand corrected and have modified my previous statement to now say: “Malaysia has now committed publicly to signing the agreement with Ocean Infinity, according to this press report.”
… and …
“The ministry acknowledges the high public interest in this search effort and is actively finalising the new search agreement in accordance with the Malaysian government’s procedures.”
Ocean Infinity have not commented publicly on this statement by the Malaysian government.
Here’s the full text of the press release Richard:
Press Statement by MOT In Conjunction with the 11th Anniversary of the MH370 Tragedy
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines
Flight MH370. On this solemn occasion, the Government of Malaysia reaffirms its
commitment to resume the search for MH370. For the families of the passengers
and crew, time has not diminished the profound grief and uncertainty they continue
to endure.
Following a Cabinet decision on 13 December 2024, the Government of Malaysia
has accepted a proposal from Ocean Infinity (United Kingdom) to recommence
search operations in a new area of approximately 15,000 square kilometers in the
southern Indian Ocean, under the “no find, no fee” principle.
It remains our solemn duty to pursue every credible lead in the hope of uncovering
the final resting place of MH370, and, in doing so, providing the families with the
answers they so rightly deserve.
Recognising the considerable public interest in this renewed search, we are working
diligently towards finalising the new search agreement in accordance to the
Government of Malaysia’s procedures.
As part of the progress for the renewed search, the Ministry of Transport Malaysia
(MOT) would like to report that the United States National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) have each
appointed an accredited representative to provide technical assistance for this
mission. The cooperation of all parties is invaluable in this ongoing effort, which
remains one of the most complex and challenging search operations in aviation
history.
On this day of remembrance, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families of
the passengers and crew of MH370. The effort to seek answers and provide closure
for them will continue.
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT MALAYSIA
@Annette Gartland,
Many thanks for the full text of the press release by the Malaysian Ministry of Transport.
What is your take on the time gap between 13th December 2014 and 8th March 2025 and the fact that they are still “working diligently towards finalising the new search agreement” after 85 days, bearing in mind Ocean Infinity presented their proposal 10 months ago ?
My take on the ten month delay since OI presented its proposal is that it should be the source of deep shame for Malaysia, but they seem to have gotten away with it because of the woeful lack of mainstream media scrutiny of this whole sorry process.
And the more I see the constant references to “a new area of approximately 15,000 square kilometers”, the more I suspect that this is the sticking point. Malaysia want to limit the search to this area, but OI want to continue searching elsewhere if it isn’t found here.
Who will blink first?
I hope you’re right Richard, but it reads like the umpteenth rehash of “still being finalised” to me.
@Duncan,
The facts are:
1. We have had no confirmation from Ocean Infinity, that an agreement with Malaysia is about to be signed.
2. Armada 7806 is currently returning to the MH370 search area and not to Cape Town, as officially announced by Ocean Infinity to the Ports Authority and on the AIS satellite data from Armada 7806.
Yes, the “being finalised” line is becoming repetitious for sure!
@All,
Here is an update on Armada 7806’s current position. The vessel is still following the exact reverse of its track from the MH370 search area to Fremantle, now back to the MH370 search area.
Armada 7806 is not following a track to Cape Town, South Africa (marked in red) as officially announced.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2lc1lpwjk75y4k6/Armada%207806%20Vessel%20Finder%2008MAR2025%200854%20UTC.png?dl=0
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5xr3bhk77m4
In today’s report we discuss the statement from the Malaysian government, that they are now willing to sign an agreement with Ocean Infinity.
We have reached out to Ocean infinity for comment on this new development.
@Richard
On Reddit they are sure that the Emirates pilot could not have seen MH370 due to inconsistency regarding tail number and date, stating that he was on the flight that was taking place on the day after. Because even if the date was the arrival date and not departure, the plane still would have a different number.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MH370/comments/1j5x33g/did_ek407_see_mh370_an_update/
So I am a little confused what to believe. Did you ask Martyn about this inconsistencies?
@Cessi,
This was already reported by @Naji on 8th March 2025 at 04:04 CET, please see his comment and my response above. I told @Naji: “I fully agree with the analysis on reddit.com, to which you refer.”
“In our preliminary report on Captain Martyn Smith’s observation, we said that we were awaiting corroborating evidence from Emirates in the form of ACARS position reports or other flight operations data or incident report. We still have not received any official report.”
Captain Martyn Smith now fully accepts, that the unidentified aircraft he saw was not MH370, but he still insists he saw an unidentified aircraft and reported the incursion into the airspace of flight EK407, not only to ATC Australia by radio at the time, but submitted a written report to Emirates and ATC Australia after arrival in Dubai.
Meanwhile Captain Martyn Smith’s correction of which EK407 flight he was on, has been backed up by another Emirates pilot on board flight EK407 on the flight on 8th/9th March 2014, who checked his log book and confirmed it was A6-EDO on the outbound leg from Dubai departing on 6th March 2014 and A6-EDB on the inbound leg from Melbourne departing on 8th March 2014.
We still have not been able to ask the pilots on flight EK407 on 7th/8th March, whether they observed an unidentified aircraft near waypoint MUTMI at around 20:10 UTC.
Since my earlier comment to @Naji today, we have now tracked the unidentified aircraft that crossed the flight path of EK407 on 8th March 2014 at 18:48 UTC, which was also flying without a filed flight plan and without a transponder.
In his report to ATC Australia on the incursion on 8th March 2014, Captain Martyn Smith said it might be a military aircraft, but he is unable to confirm from memory, whether he used CPDLC for that communication and whether the communication was recorded. Captain Martyn Smith can make no statement as to the identity of the aircraft he saw.
We are still continuing our investigation and will be making a further statement tomorrow. It will take several days until we get official responses to our enquiries from Emirates, all the other pilots on board EK407 on 7th/8th and 8th/9th, as well as from ATC Australia to be able to issue a final report.
The release of the information regarding the unidentified aircraft observed by Captain Martyn Smith has far reaching implications, as it turns out in our investigation that it was quite possibly a military aircraft.
@richard
thank you, I haven‘t seen your recent statement on this as I don‘t see all posts here in the correct chronological order. I think this even more shows that you are a good investigator and that you only cling on to facts and don‘t get tricked by confirmation bias. Think staying open minded and close to the facts is the key to eventually solving complicate cases.
Also, since you speak german, are you familiar with the speculations around the germanwings case? Do you know about the fathers‘ theory? He involved a private investigator and held a press conference on the final report ( https://andreas-lubitz.com/de/pressekonferenz-am-24-03-2017-in-berlin/ )
He states that the case wasn‘t investigated correctly by the france authorities and that it wasn‘t pilot suicide. If you are familiar with those theories I would be interested in your opinion on the fathers theory.
@Cessi,
The posts and comments are in chronological order, as are the replies to a comment, but indented under the original comment in chronological order.
Many thanks for your statement, that we should all keep an open mind.
I am familiar with the Germanwings case and I can understand a father defending his son.
In my view, Andreas Lubitz should not have been flying and was protected by the German data protection laws, that forbid a doctor from informing flight safety authorities, when a pilot is suffering depression and taking strong medication against depression.
The final report from BEA concluded that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot had deliberately locked the Captain out of the cockpit and intentionally flew the aircraft into the mountains.
@Richard
Yes that is the official version of the final report by BEA.
But the private investigator and also another indepent investigator team published a few days ago their papers and there seems to be mayor issues in the BEA report. The most obvious thing is that they accused Lubitz as the guilty person just 2 days after the incident without being able to investigate everything in these 2 days. Normal investigations would never accuse anyone after just 2 days and as you know aircrash investigations normally take more than a year until a final report is made. Also when I understood correctly they never made speech analysis from the cockpit voice recorders through family or friends. Because the weird thing is, that the person who said he‘s going to the toilet had the co-pilots headset on. So maybe Lubitz was at the bathroom and not in the cockpit? So there are many problems with the final report and I think there could be maybe more to this than what everbody expects.
It can be difficult to find old posts or to search this blog using the provided ‘search’ box.
The link to the comment Richard refers to by @Naji on 8th March 2025 at 04:04 CET is
https://www.mh370search.com/2024/05/05/new-search/comment-page-7/#comment-3749
@Tommy L.,
There are 48 posts and well over 3,000 comments on this website.
Currently the comments are arranged by post and by data.
Replies are arranged by the main comment to which they are replying and then by date.
You can use the search function to find posts or the find function in your browser to find name or text or date-time.
Hi Richard, I see that you didn’t publish my comment yesterday about the contract with Ocean Infinity not being signed as yet. The article you shared doesn’t say it has been signed, actually, and the Ministry of Transport said the following in its press release yesterday: “Recognising the considerable public interest in this renewed search, we are working diligently towards finalising the new search agreement in accordance to the Government of Malaysia’s procedures.”
Your comment was published a while back.
Richard replied acknowledging your correction and amended his previous entry based on your comment.
Maybe you missed it.
The link to your comment is:
https://www.mh370search.com/2024/05/05/new-search/comment-page-7/#comment-3758
The link to Richard’s reply is:
https://www.mh370search.com/2024/05/05/new-search/comment-page-7/#comment-3760
@Tommy L.
Many thanks for helping out. Our replies to Annette Gartland crossed at the same time. Perhaps Annette was not expecting an Immediate reply 9 minutes after her comment.
@Annette Gartland,
Your comment yesterday at 10:04 CET was published and I replied at 10:13 CET saying:
“Welcome to the blog!
I stand corrected and have modified my previous statement to now say: “Malaysia has now committed publicly to signing the agreement with Ocean Infinity, according to this press report.”
… and …
“The ministry acknowledges the high public interest in this search effort and is actively finalising the new search agreement in accordance with the Malaysian government’s procedures.”
Ocean Infinity have not commented publicly on this statement by the Malaysian government.”
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A7j1rNsL9s
In today’s report we announce an update on the MH370 New Evidence and discuss our initial findings.
You will find an update statement on MH370 New Evidence by Captain Martyn Smith and myself at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/usdosfmu73nc2i5/MH370%20New%20Evidence%20-%20Statement%20Update%2009MAR2025.pdf?dl=0
@Richard
I have 2 issues:
1) I will not be surprise if the Malaysia government decided to add additional terms & conditions with OI such as,
” no images ( strictly images of the inside cockpit) be distributed to the public if MH370 wreckages are found”.
2) If no wreckages are found in the Blelly/Marchand hotspot, my guess is ( I strongly hope so) your WSPR area should be where MH370 is located..
@Richard
Do you think that they will give you any reward if the wreckage was found in the WSPR area based on your research?
@Cessi,
I am not in this for a reward.
@Richard
Of course not. But if it was the case that they‘ll find it because of your work I would find it quite unfair that OI will claim 70 M and you wont get anything despite all your effort you have put in this. Again, to me this would seem pretty unfair even if your intention has nothing to do with money and you don‘t want to be rewarded.
@Cessi,
Many thanks for your concern, but my focus is on my research and collaborating with academics, who are also researching WSPR technology.
@Richard,
if WSPR can be used to detect MH370’s flight path, then sure it can be used to reconstruct the flight path of the yet unidentified aircraft that Captain Smith has seen.
Or am I missing something?
Love your work by the way! I’m so grateful for individuals like you who seek the truth and don’t give up!
@Raphael,
Welcome to the blog and many thanks for the kind words.
WSPR can be used to track any aircraft and we plan to reconstruct the flight path of the unidentified aircraft observed by Captain Martyn Smith in the middle of the Indian Ocean on 8th March 2014.
Mike Mackay, an engineer on the oil rig Songa Mercur, located off the coast of the Vietnamese town of Vung Tau, reported to his employers and to the New Zealand police that he had seen a burning object in the sky that he thought could have been MH370.
He later acknowledged that the burning object he saw was in the wrong place, according to all information available publicly.
Could WSPR be used to establish the existence of the burning object that Mike Mackay saw, if it was indeed a plane, and if so it’s trajectory?
The Vietnamese authorities initially took his report seriously and started searching, but their search was called off once it was made known that MH370 had turned back over Malaysia.
@TommyL,
1. If Mike McKay now admits he did not see MH370, then no other aircraft was reported missing on the night of 7th to 8th March 2014.
2. Fireball and meteor observation networks did not record any airburst or meteorite events in the area of the South China Sea on the night of 7th to 8th March 2014.
3. Mike McKay stated in his email at the time the position of Songa Mercur was 8° 22’ 30.2 “ North 108° 42’ 22.26” East.
4. The burning object was at high altitude and between 50 km to 70 km distant on a bearing between 265° and 275° according to his email.
5. The only flight route in this area is M771, which is 110 km from Mike McKay observation point.
6. There are no WSPR detections in this area, around this time.
7. Even if the burning object was MH370 and the fire was extinguished, it would not have made it back to Malaysia in time to match the civilian and military radar data, the co-pilot’s mobile detection data or the Inmarsat 1st Arc.
I see that Armada 86 01 is en route to Singapore, suggesting that it’s now ready for deployment.
If 78 06 does end up in Cape town, that will leave 86 01 as the closest OI vessel to the search area.
@Duncan,
Many thanks for the update that Armada 8601 has left Vung Tau and is showing a destination of Singapore, with an ETA of 15th March 2025.
The current track is not direct to Singapore however and the current status is restricted, implying that Armada 8601 is doing sea trials and deploying either AUVs or ROVs.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDEloxQHdVs
In today’s report we predict that Armada 7806 will arrive in the MH370 search area late tonight at around 23:46 UTC (tomorrow morning 07:46 Perth time).
Armada 7806 is heading for the southern end of the MH370 search area to the Southern most point, where they left off 10 days ago. This is still around 20 nmi North of the Captain Patrick Blelly and Jean-Luc Marchand hot spot.
We also answer a series of viewer’s comment and questions:
1. Is there still hope?
2. Am I the only one who is confused by all this?
3. They will never find the plane, it goes beyond their comprehension.
4. Might the unidentified aircraft have been performing a search for the lost aircraft?
5. Might the pilots on EK407 have seen MH370 on 7th March 2014?
6. How long can Armada 7806 stay at sea before having to refuel?
7. Why hasn’t more debris washed up ashore?
8. Any chance the Americans were trying to validate/test the Inmarsat data?
9. With a big enough computer, does WSPR airplane tracking work in near real time?
10. Can stealth planes be detected by WSPR? If so, someone is not going to like it.
@All,
Armada 7806 on reaching the MH370 search area has now changed course directly for Cape Town:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2qdl99y8lfj3tbphqtq2m/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-10MAR2025-1801-UTC.png?rlkey=pnr1hoyoacu9ts2i6gxqyaqm6&dl=0
The current course will miss the Blelly/Marchand hot spot’s Southern most point by around 45 km.
Why is this?
@Jesse Tulloch,
It is too soon to tell whether the reason is:
1. OI are going direct to Cape Town.
2. They have decided to start the Blelly Marchand area at the most Southern point.
3. They are avoiding sea fog in the area.
By my reckoning 7806 is still very much on course for the SE corner (-35.900, 93.445) of the Blely-Marchand area.
@Paul Smithson,
Armada 7806 has changed course again but is still 28.5 km South of the Blelly/Marchand so called “Maximum Ditching” point.
Or the bottom end of the “wide” search box that runs along E flank of the zone? Entirely possible, but we won’t know until tomorrow…
Why would O.I be headed back to Cape Town after such a short time searching? Can see no signs of weather in the region.
@Jesse Greg Tulloch,
Here is the current weather in the region and the sea fog /low cloud I mentioned yesterday:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lexetvot3qz8tysl472n6/Weather-11MAR2025-0745-UTC.png?rlkey=3094rfrvclyhb2mornxfratqv&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6o2uwh6gkrmmkrm4kehkn/Weather-10MAR2025-1300-UTC.png?rlkey=ds44zgr5545toyp8507tkdi6k&dl=0
@All,
Armada 7806 has now stopped at 36.246°S 92.202°E. This location is further South West of the Blelly/Marchand hot spot, which is in the area between 35.518°S 93.025°E and 35.875°S 93.039°E:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5a03nlra2w68gt1c1tjny/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-11MAR2025-0931-UTC.png?rlkey=gxcm6ystk52wvhe8hy6cjmesf&dl=0
Meanwhile, Loke has today been reported as saying yet again that the contract is still being finalised.
I’m slightly encouraged that this time he doesn’t seem to have mentioned a 15,000km² search.
https://www-tvsarawak-my.translate.goog/2025/03/11/kontrak-syarikat-lakukan-operasi-mencari-mh370-sedang-dimuktamadkan/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
@Duncan,
That makes the 5th time Anthony Loke says he is finalising the agreement with Ocean Infinity.
Meanwhile there has been no statement from Ocean Infinity since 20th December 2024.
Oliver Plunkett politely declined to give us an interview on Airline Daily News with Geoffrey Thomas.
However, Armada 7806 is back in the MH370 search area and is currently in an area previously searched by Fugro in 2015 and 2016. Maybe Ocean Infinity have found data gaps in the previous search, that they want to check on again.
@All,
Armada 7806 has stopped at the top of the DSTG search area as defined in their DSTG Bayesian Methods in the Search for MH370 report published on 3rd December 2015.
The Armada 7806 location is currently at 36.23925°S 92.20866°E, which is 85 km South West of the Blelly/Marchand hot spot called the “Maximum Ditching Point”.
The water depth is 3,954 m at this location.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/npwk30wjkp1gvy940gswo/Hot-Spots-Google-Earth-11MAR2025.png?rlkey=kxa6icpwxd3s8ma9wgqehamxz&dl=0
The confusion about:
Destination when 7806 left Fremantle
Change of course when they got near to the search area
Sequence in which areas are being searched
All suggest to me that Ocean Infinity is waiting for the $70M “no find – no fee” contract to finally be signed by the Malaysian Govt.
The malaysian Minister of Transport keeps saying the contract is about to be signed, but that has not yet actually happened (to my knowledge). It feels to me like Ocean Infinity is amending the search parameters depending on how the contract negotiations and are going.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PZxlskL6bQ
In today’s report we announce that Armada 7806 is back in the MH370 search area, but again in an area previously searched.
16 days ago Armada 7806 started checking an area around the IG hot spot, that they had previously searched in 2018.
Now it appears that Armada 7806 is going to search an area around the DTSG area previously searched by Fugro in 2015 and 2016.
There are still no signatures on the contract between Malaysia and Ocean Infinity.
Long-time lurker and, first-time poster.
Absolutely love the work you are doing keeping us all informed, as well as your work on WSPR technology.
Out of curiosity is there one map of the region, showing the historical search areas, and the new proposed search areas? WSPR, hotspots and Blelly/Marchand. So we can see them all in relation to each other.
Also, not that I’m suggesting we start wearing tin foil hats, but do you think that with the ongoing delays in the Malaysian government signing the contract, if OI were to find MH370 they would stay silent until the contract gets signed? 70mil is some big money.
@Matt Fone,
Welcome to the blog and many thanks for the kind words!
There isn’t a single map of all of the historical search areas:
1. AMSA Surface Search 2014 4.7 Million km2:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/32s0lv3pup4t0xqt0b4l1/1.-AMSA-Search-Area-Cumulative-2014-4.7-M-km2.png?rlkey=mqj4ij9ievzgvs4zam7umc3qy&dl=0
2. ATSB Bathymetry Search 2014 710,000 km2 as a prerequisite for an Underwater Search:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p6wjwy26ejsmj63jcuqck/2.-ATSB-Bathymetry-2014-70-K-km2.png?rlkey=wuw4ksltbjjt2i5mk7uk27kwm&dl=0
3. ATSB, Fugro and Go Phoenix Underwater Search 2014 to 2017 120,000 km2:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/glkms3a4czfwkfr0fk9d4/3.-ATSB-Fugro-Go-Phoenix-2014-to-2017-120-K-m2.png?rlkey=zqc9jkkye9o84643p4pa72gei&dl=0
4. Ocean Infinity Underwater Search 2018 120,000 km2:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p2zakm6c9sm0yf2gvvu0j/4.-Ocean-Infinity-Search-Area-2018-120-K-m2.png?rlkey=c4eltz6dqkps9xypnj7kv6hnf&dl=0
Obviously the current Ocean Infinity search in 2025 is covering possible gaps in the previous searches so far and is still ongoing.
The search of new areas by Ocean Infinity has not yet started, but is expected to cover 15,000 km2.
As you say, the ongoing delays in the Malaysian government signing the contract is the key factor driving the start date of any new search areas.
Meanwhile Ocean Infinity are using the time to fill in any data gaps in previous searches.
Been following this story since it went missing in 2014. One of the mysteries of all time.
Had to post my utmost respect to Richard and the other people trying to help find this plane.
Can’t imagine how hard for the families, really hope this time they find it.
Hey mate from Australia, I am pretty young and new to this blog, I was 10 years old at the time when this plane went missing and I had been always been terrified flying with planes ever since.
I just want to say my thoughts about this mystery. With most information gathered it mostly goes all towards a deliberate act by one of the pilots on board, in this case, The Captain.
There was a source published back in 2014 how it stated that the captain had shown behavioural changes on that very night that MH370 went missing. One case that he lived in a gated residence with security guards and usually he would give them a muslim style of salutation as if he was saying salam, but on this very night instead he had saluted them in the military style. the security described this as “it was very unlike him”.
In addition to this, he also did not use the cab like he normally always did for an international flight, instead he went in his own car. Also, the cab did arrive at his residence 20 minutes after he already had left for the airport, seeming like he was in a big hurry.
Like it all comes down to this in my mind, did the authority ever or the investigation team go through the flight data recorder or cockpit recorder for the previous flight he had flown on, the one to Jeddah Airport that was maybe the flight that was the initial target. Maybe if they did look or asked the cabin crew or pilots from that flight about anything odd on that specific flight and how the captains behaviour was like.
I am just curious to what your take is on the captain. Do you think he is the one most likely responsible? If so, do you have any information or anything interesting about the captain before that flight or during that day I missed! I know a bit about the flight simulator too.
Thank you Mate
@Hamza
Can you find a link to that specific source to which you referred ? We would all love to read it.
If not, I do recall that there were various reports about the security guards of the gated community commenting on the fact that Zahari had gave them a military style salute when he left, which was unusual enough to warrant being commented on.
I did not previously know that he drove his own car instead of the booked taxi that arrived 20 minutes after he had left, which in itself, would have heightened the security guards’ attention to detail, and their subsequent commenting on the sequence of events.
So, at face value, in summary, the three apparent facts that:
(a) – he left in his own car 20 minutes early instead of using the cab,
(b) – he did not cancel the cab, (forgot to do so?)
(c) – he gave the security guards a military salute on leaving,
could be interpreted to indicate that:
(1) – he was in a big hurry,
(2) – he had a lot on his mind,
(3) – he knew that he would not be seeing the guards again.
That could be interpreted as three shots fired out of a six-shot revolver before he even got to the airport.
Hi Hamza, Im not sure where you heard all that, but the Captain usually rode to the airport with transport provided by the airline, and did the same that night. His family and friends and coworkers i spoke with noticed nothing unusual or disturbing about him in the weeks leading up to the disappearance. We need to find the crash site and recover the underwater debris to know the truth and have the proof.