Malaysia on Wednesday signed a deal with a United States seabed exploration company to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing with 239 people on board in March 2014, reported AFP. According to the “no find, no fee” deal, the Malaysian government will pay Ocean Infinity up to $70 million (approximately Rs 465 crore) if it finds the aircraft, but nothing if it does not find it.

The 90-day search will begin on January 17, said Ocean Infinity Chief Executive Oliver Plunkett told Reuters. The new search zone is an area of around 25,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean.

A Norwegian research vessel, named Seabed Constructor, will be carrying out the search operation. It has 65 crew members and has already set off from South Africa. The ship is equipped with eight autonomous drones that have sonars and cameras installed. The drones can operate in depths up to 6,000 metres under water, according to AFP. The Indian Ocean is up to 8,040 metres deep.

The amount the Malaysian government will pay will depend on where the aircraft is found. If it is found within the first 5,000 square kilometres, they will receive $20 million (approximately Rs 133 crore), Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said at the signing ceremony on Wednesday. “I would like to reiterate our unwavering commitment towards solving the mystery of MH370,” he added.

Mysterious disappearance

The aircraft was reported missing on March 8, 2014 en route Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Several teams from different countries have looked for the Boeing 777 in a 1.2 lakh-sq-km area of the Indian Ocean.

Australia, China and Malaysia ended fruitless attempts to solve one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries in January 2017. The hunt for the aircraft was also riddled with controversy, with many experts saying the teams were searching for the flight in the wrong area.

Debris from the aircraft was found on the French island of Reunion, in Mozambique, South Africa, Rodrigues Island and Mauritius, among other sites.

Investigators believe someone may have deliberately switched off the transponder of the aircraft, making it difficult to trace.