Debris found on Malaysia coast not from MH370: Minister

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains missing, and, making matters worse, the search for the plane faced a pair of setbacks this week.

Truss, who is also the minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, said “The presence of Dong Hai Jiu 101 will supplement the work of Fugro Discovery, Fugro Equator and Havila Harmony, and returns to four the number of vessels actively searching for MH370 in the 120,000-square kilometer search area”.

The value of China’s contribution to the search by way of the ship is given as $20 million.

The sonar towed system will be operated by Phoenix International Holdings and Hydrospheric Solutions, both of which have experience in the MH370 search having previously operated on search vessel Go Phoenix.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014.

“The vessel is expected to depart Fremantle for the search area on 28 January and recommence search activities around 2 February 2016”.

So far, only a two-metre-long (almost seven-foot) flaperon wing part that washed up on a beach on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion in July has been confirmed to have come from aircraft.

The latest update on the search for Flight MH370 comes as local reports claimed Thursday that more debris washed up on the Malaysian east coast, prompting speculation for a second time in a week that it could be from the missing jet.

A team comprising of personnel from the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), the Ministry of Transport and Malaysia Airlines had examined the debris recently found on the shores of Besut, Terengganu to determine its origins.

The object was found along the same coastline facing the South China Sea as the Nakhon Si Thammarat province in Thailand, where suspected plane debris was found on Saturday.