HULU SELANGOR: A proposal from marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which went missing while en route to Beijing 10 years ago, is being studied by the government.

Transport Minister 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.

He said the matter would need to be presented to the Cabinet before an agreement is finalised between the government and Ocean Infinity.

He anticipates that the process will take about three months.

“If all goes well, they have expressed their readiness to start the search mission in November ... (however) we need Cabinet approval because I can’t pre-empt the Cabinet.

“We need to further discuss the information provided and there must be an agreement because this involves financial implications if the aircraft is found,” Loke told a press conference after inaugurating the ECRL Career Carnival here yesterday, Bernama reported.

On Friday, the Association for Families of the Passengers and Crew on board MH370 revealed on its Facebook page that Ocean Infinity had submitted a proposal to revive the search to Loke.

The company proposed that the search be carried out on a ‘No Find, No Fee’ basis.

“The presentation was well received by the minister and his team,” said the association.

“We wait for the required paperwork to be sorted out and a new contract inked.”

On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, went missing while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, Loke said the construction work in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor has reached an average of 65% completion as of April.

He said that in Selangor, particularly, the project has progressed by more than 26% up to last month, in line with the schedule for the preparation of the ECRL line from Gombak to Port Klang in December 2027, with operations set to begin in January 2028.

“Today, over 100km has been laid. I was told that each day, over 1km of the railway track could be laid. The ECRL project is highly efficient. Each day there is progress ... by the day not by month, so that’s why the project is running very smoothly.

“For your information, the ECRL network in Selangor, which is nearly 120km, will have five stations, namely the Gombak, Kapar and Jalan Kastam Integrated Terminals for passengers only. The Bandar Serendah and Puncak Alam stations are connecting stations for passengers and cargo,” he said.

He added that the Serendah area here would become the main station to connect the Port Klang and East Coast routes, thus making the area an important logistics hub.

He also said land acquisition for the construction of the train infrastructure on the east coast had been completed while in Selangor, developers had been given another year to resolve the matter.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/05/loke-govt-studying-proposal-for-new-mh370-search