MH370: Searchers to move to new area in the Indian Ocean
The search team is responding to a series of electronic "handshakes" between the missing plane and a satellite operated by British company Inmarsat, Xinhua reported citing JACC.
Satellite data suggests that the aircraft turned south across the Indian Ocean after flying near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This information remains the best lead that investigators have in trying to find the plane, Angus Houston, chief of search operation, said.
"We're going to have to go deep and do a comprehensive look at the ocean floor," he said. "The handshakes are the most robust information we have at the moment," Houston added.
The JACC said in a statement that the Australian-contracted survey vessel Fugro Equator has commenced operations in a defined search area. Chinese PLA-Navy ship Zhu Kezhen is also undertaking survey activities.
Houston: We are going to do a comprehensive look at the ocean floor
"Under the direction of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the two vessels are conducting the bathymetric survey - or mapping of the sea floor - which is crucial to carrying out the deep water search for MH370 that is scheduled to commence in August," Houston said.
So far, the Zhu Kezhen has surveyed 4,088 square kilometres of the ocean floor.
It
is
anticipated
that
it
will
take
at
least
three
months
to
complete
the
bathymetric
survey
of
the
60,000
sq.km
search
zone.
The
ships
will
regularly
send
survey
data
to
the
ATSB
and
Geoscience
Australia.
This
data
will
be
used
to
progressively
build
a
map
of
the
search
area.
The JACC said the search area will be confirmed before the end of June, after completion of extensive collaborative analysis by a range of specialists.
"It is already clear from the provisional results of that analysis that the search zone will move, but still be on the seventh arc (where the aircraft last communicated with satellite)," the JACC said.
IANS