Search for MH370 set to resume
Ship leaves SA in bid to solve mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight
ARESEARCH ship has sailed from Durban in a new attempt to solve one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. The Seabed Constructor left at 8pm on Tuesday and is due off the Australian west coast on January 17 to search for whatever is left of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The Boeing 777-200ER left Kuala Lumpur on March 8 2014 with 239 people on board – and then vanished.
The Malaysian government has enlisted US seabed exploration company Ocean Infinity‚ which chartered the Norwegian ship and its eight autonomous submarines.
No sign of the plane was found in a 120 000km² search zone selected by satellite analysis of the jet’s likely trajectory.
The search – the largest in aviation history – was suspended a year ago‚ when the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released scientific findings that identified a 25 000km² area with a high probability of containing the aircraft.
Ocean Infinity‚ which has a “no find‚ no fee” arrangement with Malaysia‚ will focus its search on that part of the ocean floor.
“We are moving the vessel‚ Seabed Constructor‚ towards the vicinity of the possible search zone‚” a company spokesman said.
The firm wants to start the hunt during good weather expected this month and next.
The Seabed Constructor has a superstructure bristling with antennas and a gantry known as the stinger‚ The Economist reported.
Ocean Infinity technical director Josh Broussard told the magazine the vessel would be able to scan 1 200km² a day.
“If searching the patch of ocean designated by the ATSB reveals nothing‚ the ship will head further north‚ towards the 30th parallel‚ which some independent experts believe is a better bet,” The Economist said.
The Seabed Constructor’s submarines‚ known as HUGINs‚ can go as deep as 6 000m‚ allowing them to reach most of the sea floor. They will be launched by the stinger‚ which extends out over the ship’s stern.
“Once underwater‚ the robot craft will communicate with the ship using an acoustic modem. The ship’s own modem‚ which will receive these signals‚ is fixed to the end of a long pole that extends down through her hull into the water‚” The Economist reported.
“Each HUGIN comes with a 300kg lithium-polymer battery pack‚ good for a tour of duty lasting up to 60 hours.
“A downward-pointing sonar will map the contours of the seabed beneath the craft‚ but most of the searching will be done by side-mounted sonars scanning the bed on either side of the craft.
“These send out pings and measure the intensity with which they are reflected.
“If something metallic is detected‚ its nature can be confirmed using an on-board magnetometer.
“The HUGINs’ search patterns are set by people‚ but the craft will actually navigate with little reference to their mother ship.
“Every so often‚ the ship will send out a corrective ping to keep them on course.
“Mostly‚ however‚ they will employ dead reckoning‚ based on data from accelerometers‚ to steer themselves autonomously.
“They are also capable of picking their way without assistance over sheer underwater cliffs and mountains‚ past crevices and gullies.
“After its tour of duty‚ a HUGIN will be lifted back on board ship and the data it has collected downloaded into the ship’s data centre and turned into human-readable maps.
“The HUGIN’s battery will be replaced with a fully charged one‚ any necessary repairs made‚ and the craft then sent back out into the ocean.
“A team of geologists and hydrographers will then pore over the maps‚ looking for signs of the missing plane.
“If the data look good‚ a HUGIN will be sent down for a second‚ closer look‚ cameras at the ready.
“What happens next‚ if Ocean Infinity does locate what is left of the missing aircraft‚ is unclear – merely finding the wreckage will not explain what happened on board the plane.
“That will require the discovery of the aircraft’s flight recorder.
“That object is therefore Ocean Infinity’s ultimate target.
“If the firm finds it on this mission‚ Broussard says they plan to bring it to the surface and then deliver it for analysis to the Australian authorities.”
The magazine said Seabed Constructor was the world’s most advanced civilian survey vessel. “If its array of technology cannot find MH370‚ then it is likely that nothing will‚ and the mystery of MH370 may never be solved.”