MH370 search remains unsolved after 12 years of ocean floor mapping

Twelve years after its disappearance, the search for flight MH370 remains one of aviation's greatest mysteries. Despite extensive efforts, the aircraft's wreckage has not been located.

Ocean Infinity reported that since 2018, the company has spent over 150 days at sea, mapping more than 140,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor. Their most recent campaign, which ran from March 2025 to January 23, 2026, concluded without finding the wreckage. While 140,000 square kilometers is a vast area—larger than Greece—it represents only a fraction of the potential search zone.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) noted that limited satellite data from the flight's final hours makes defining the search area difficult. Depending on various flight path possibilities and fuel exhaustion points, the total area requiring investigation could reach up to 1.2 million square kilometers.

Technical challenges also persist due to the harsh conditions of the southern Indian Ocean. The seabed features complex terrain at depths between 2,500 and 4,000 meters. Search teams must rely on survey ships, sonar, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to navigate these depths and identify anomalies.