US company offers to take financial risk of new MH370 search

9M-MRO, the aircraft that disappeared, photographed in 2011 (Photo by Laurent ERRERA from L’Union, France – Boeing 777-200ER Malaysia AL (MAS) 9M-MRO – MSN 28420/404, CC BY-SA 2.0)

CANBERRA, Australia — U.S. seabed exploration company Ocean Infinity says it has offered to take the financial risk of a renewed search for the missing Malaysian airliner, as victims’ families urge the Malaysian government to agree to a private-sector hunt for Flight 370’s wreckage.

Malaysia, Australia and China suspended a nearly three-year search in the southern Indian Ocean in January after failing to find any trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Ocean Infinity said in a statement on Friday it remained hopeful that Malaysia would accept its offer to continue the search.

A support group for victims’ families, Voice370, said under the terms of the offer made in April, Ocean Infinity “would like to be paid a reward if and only if it finds the main debris field.”