The UK satellite company Inmarsat claims that searchers for MH370, which disappeared 103 days ago with 239 passengers and crew, are yet to look in the area its scientists think is the Boeing 777’s most likely crash site.
Inmarsat’s hourly communications with MH370, which was on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, are the only clues to the location of the Boeing 777.
Yesterday Inmarsat experts told the BBC’s Horizon program that when the search resumes in August, with equipment capable of searching as deep as 6000m, its “hot spot” will be a key focus.
Inmarsat’s Chris Ashton explained to the BBC that the area that Ocean Shield had searched related to the black box pings that were detected.
"It was by no means an unrealistic location but it was further to the northeast than our area of highest probability," said Mr Ashton.
Inmarsat’s experts used satellite data to plot a series of arcs across the Indian Ocean where its systems made contact with the Boeing 777.
According to the BBC Horizon program by modelling a flight with a constant speed and a constant heading consistent with the plane being flown by autopilot - the team found one flight path that lined up with all its data.
"We can identify a path that matches exactly with all those frequency measurements and with the timing measurements and lands on the final arc at a particular location, which then gives us a sort of a hotspot area on the final arc where we believe the most likely area is," said Mr Ashton.
And much of this area is 6000m deep, well beyond the capability of the Bluefin 21 which was launched from Ocean Shield.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has just awarded a contract to deep water survey company, Fugro Survey Pty Ltd, to conduct a bathymetric survey of the seafloor.
The bathymetric survey will provide a map of the underwater search zone, charting the contours and depths and will be crucial to help plan the deep water search.
Fugro will use the state-of-the-art vessel MV Fugro Equator which is equipped with a deep-water multibeam echo sounder system and carries expert survey personnel to undertake the survey operations.
MV Fugro Equator will join the Chinese PLA-Navy ship Zhu Kezhen, which recently began conducting bathymetric survey operations in the search area.
The two vessels are anticipated to take around three months to complete the bathymetric survey of the 60,000 square kilometre search zone.
ATSB has also invited proposals to conduct the underwater search once the mapping is underway.
According to the ATSB the successful prime contractor, will provide the expertise, equipment and vessels necessary to undertake an intensified underwater search for the missing Boeing 777 aircraft.
The ATSB adds that “while the precise search zone is currently being established by an international search strategy working group, it is expected that the successful tenderer will search an area up to 60,000 square kilometres based on the seventh handshake arc where the aircraft last communicated with the Inmarsat satellite.
Definition of the search zone will be finalised within two weeks.
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