After 11 years, search for missing MH370 flight resumes
What's the story
Ocean Infinity, a maritime exploration company, has restarted the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after leading an unsuccessful mission in 2018.
The Boeing 777 aircraft vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
Australian authorities ended their underwater search for the wreckage in January 2017 after searching 120,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean for almost three years.
Search agreement
Ocean Infinity's renewed search based on 'no-find-no-fee' agreement
The renewed search efforts by Ocean Infinity are under a "no-find-no-fee" agreement with the Malaysian government.
If they succeed in locating and verifying the wreckage, the firm will be paid $70 million.
The new search will cover a 15,000 square kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean.
However, contract details are still being finalized, and the duration of this search is yet to be determined.
Unresolved mystery
MH370 disappearance: Aviation's greatest mystery
The disappearance of MH370 continues to be one of aviation's greatest mysteries.
Several theories have been floated about its fate, from pilot error or sabotage to more elaborate scenarios involving government intervention or hijacking.
Meanwhile, families of those on board the missing flight have hoped this renewed search will provide answers and closure.
Grace Nathan, who lost her mother on the flight, said, "We're very relieved and pleased that the search is resuming once again after such a long hiatus."
Hopeful families
Families of MH370 passengers express hope for closure
Jaquita Gonzales, wife of flight supervisor Patrick Gomes, echoed similar sentiments: "We just want to know where it is and what happened."
Past attempts
New search efforts
Other researchers searching for MH370 are pinning their faith in small aquatic crustaceans.
Because ocean temperatures in the area where MH370 is believed to have vanished can fluctuate fast, some researchers believe barnacles could help find where the jet is.
The largest barnacles could be old enough to have colonized the wreckage quickly after impact. Determining the temperatures recorded in the shells of the largest barnacles on MH370's debris may bring search crews to the appropriate location.