Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics and seabed survey company based in the UK and the US, is spearheading a renewed search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. On March 8, 2014 this aircraft disappeared from radar flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Its sudden and unexplained disappearance has kept advocates and families scratching their heads for almost 9 years now. Ocean Infinity’s unique combination of advanced technology and a highly focused, military-like strategy aims to reveal the crime and clues that have stumped investigators for decades.
The firm’s fleet features Hugin 6000 autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), worth about $8 million apiece. These highly automated vehicles map detailed three-dimensional maps of the ocean floor. With sonar, laser, optical and echo sound technologies they can now scan depths up to 6,000 meters. Ocean Infinity Ocean Infinity began their mission to find MH370. They’ve already searched almost 10,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean and now want to broaden their search by a further 25,000 square kilometers.
Advanced Technology in Action
Ocean Infinity’s high-tech AUVs are equipped with a suite of powerful tools. These tools make a world of difference, as they help their navigation in the challenging underwater terrain. They can capture sonar images of their surroundings by bouncing acoustic pulses off nearby objects, providing valuable data for analysis. Beyond new sonar capabilities, these AUVs use lasers to scan unexplored objects and create highly accurate three-dimensional images.
“The ocean floor is a very complicated environment to navigate around,” said Simon Maskell, a spokesperson for Ocean Infinity. In order to search more effectively, he stressed the need to use the right technology to conduct those searches. “You can have the greatest technology in the world, but if you look in the wrong place, it’s not going to help you.”
As operating units or deployed through a locally managed ocean observatory, the AUVs stay submerged up to 100 hours between recharge. This ability to endure lets them canvas huge swaths of territory without repeated breaks. They are outfitted with magnetometers. These advanced machines are able to sense metal objects located up a few meters below the sediment of the seabed. Richard Godfrey, an aviation expert involved in the search efforts, noted the significance of this technology: “It has a magnetometer so it can detect metal, even if it’s buried under several meters of sediment.”
Strategic Search Operations
Texas-based survey company Ocean Infinity has adopted a radical “no find, no fee” approach to its searches. They have received a $70 million payment promise from the Malaysian government, though this money is paid only upon finding the plane. The company has already sunk “tens of millions of dollars” in specialized ships and equipment for the mission. They are methodically focusing the regions most prone to leakage to assert the location of MH370. Their research narrows down their search to a 15,000 square kilometer area of the Indian Ocean.
The search is fraught with challenges. Godfrey highlighted one major concern: “One of the biggest challenges Ocean Infinity faces is the risk of being very close to the MH370 wreckage and missing it because of difficult terrain or gaps in the survey data.” Ocean Infinity has nonetheless wracked up nearly insurmountable challenges. They need to artfully juggle data analysis with the logistical nightmares of recharging AUVs and being in command of both AUVs and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
“You can say: make me a map of that area and come back when you’re done,” Maskell explained regarding the operation’s efficiency. This predictable workflow enables wide-ranging coverage in an efficient manner.
The Ocean’s Unforgiving Environment
Searching for MH370 was not just complicated by technical measures, but environmental conditions. The Indian Ocean is notoriously hard to navigate, rough seas contributing to an extra layer of challenge for the operation. Maskell remarked, “It’s not where you would want to go kayaking. The sea is rough,” acknowledging the inherent risks faced by crew members involved in the expedition.
The sweltering conditions require incompetence and creativity in equal measure. This prevents the AUVs from getting damaged in large waves and guarantees they are operating at their best. Despite these hurdles, Ocean Infinity is undeterred in its mission.
I don’t imagine that they’re in this just for the monetary prize of $70 million,” Godfrey said. “This search is very, very expensive. Far from being incompetent or lazy, I think they are motivated by the same pursuit of glory. They wish to position themselves as the world’s premier underwater-search company, particularly after finding MH370.