Seabed Search Suspended (S2Ep35 video)

Malaysia's Transport Minister announced a temporary halt to the search for MH370. Here's why

Trying to understand what’s going on with the latest seabed search for MH370 is like reading tea leaves. Neither the Malaysian government, which is responsible for solving the mystery, nor Ocean Infinity, the marine survey company looking for the plane, has been very forthcoming about what they’re doing. So it was a nice change of pace when the Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke stood up at a press conference on April 2, 2025, and dropped two important pieces of information in quick succession. The good news was that Malaysia and Ocean Infinity has finally signed a contract for the search, under which Malaysia will pay $70 million if the plane’s wreckage is found. The bad news was that the search, which had been moving along at a brisk pace in previous weeks, would be suspended until the end of the year. To make sense of what is really going on, I turned to the person who has proven to be the best-sourced observer of the seabed search, Kevin Rupp, who shares marine tracking data and other insights on his Facebook page, Ocean Infinity News and Updates. In today’s episode Kevin reveals what was behind the decision to pause the search and what likely lies ahead.

Kevin Rupp is a private person who got interested in the MH370 story when it first broke and followed the ship tracking data that was posted by other people online during the first seabed search overseen by the Australian government. Then, when Ocean Infinity launched its first search in 2018, a friend recommended he try a service called Big Ocean Data.

As Kevin puts it: “During that search, there was more interest in the story and I became of the sources people could go to that didn't editorialize a lot. We just put up the track without filling with a lot of theories and stuff. Big Ocean Data noticed and we formed a good relationship. I still pay for my sub but we get a lot of extras and help when we need it.”

Kevin has been getting help from a team of volunteers and getting advice from the Independent group. He says: “Because we are straight shooters, sources tend to seek us out. I was getting a lot of inside information during the 2018 search. Mostly, they want correct information to get out instead of what people tend to make up. This time is no different.”

And I’ll say that one of the things that makes Kevin’s information really useful is that he has very little ego and draws a clear line between what he actually knows and what he’s just surmising, and so time and time again what he’s said has later turned out to be accurate. So while I don’t have any inside information directly from Ocean Infinity, Kevin is the next best thing because he has sources within the company.

Being a person who values his privacy, Kevin didn’t want to do a video interview, but he agreed to answer my questions over email.

J: There’s been speculation as to whether Ocean Infinity might have seen something during its search but not yet reported it.

K: I'm hearing that they are very pleased with the quality of the data they are getting, but nothing has been found yet. They have only done an initial review of the data, so its early in the process. They probably would have seen the debris during the initial review, though.

J: Could you clarify some confusion about the long delay in the signing of the contract, and whether that had hampered the seabed search? A group of family members of missing passengers called VoiceMH370 put out an image on April 2nd that said that “Whilst OI arrived at the proposed search zone earlier, they were able to officially commence their search only 25.03.2025 after the contract was signed.” That seems to imply that while Armada 78 06 was out in the search area doing its zigzag patterns it wasn’t actually searching, which I find hard to believe.

K: Armada 78 06 had permission to start the search before the contract was signed. Nothing was really stopping them but by getting permission they were assured of getting paid if they found it. I find the families to be a bit disorganized and maybe something is lost in translation.

J: I’ve talked in earlier episodes about how Armada 78 06, while very state-of-the-art, is fairly small and can only deploy 3 AUVs at a time, compared to the 8 used in the 2018 search, and so is searching relatively slowly. Are they going to bring in a bigger ship?

K: Yes, they want to bring in a bigger vessel. 78 06 was bouncing a lot and AUV recovery can be dicey when the ship and AUV are pitching. What ship that will be is unknown at this time. There is talk of a new 86 meter boat but that’s not a lot better then what they have. I really hope they bring over Island Pride from the Atlantic. Up to 8 AUVs, 2 6000 meter ROVs, and 3 cranes including a 40 ton, 6000 meter heave compensated salvage crane. Island Pride would allow them to do recover operations if they find the wreck, the Armada boats won’t.

J: At his press conference Anthony Loke said that the search would be suspended until the end of the year. You’ve speculated on social media that the search might start in November.

K: When I said November, it was just a guess based on that’s when the weather will clear. No real word on when they will actually start.

J: Last question: any insight on what Ocean Infinity’s ultimate plan is? It seems like they’re following the analysis laid out by Victor Iannello, but are they planning to go beyond that? Do they give enough credence to Richard Godfrey’s WSPR idea that they’ll wind up checking there, too?

K: I have no knowledge of OIs plan, but my hunch, and that’s all it is, is they don't care about anybody's "theory". I think they are going by the satellite data, the drift analysis, the satellite debris photos, ect. They are going to block out the entire 15,000 - 25,000 square kilometers and be absolutely sure when they are done that the wreckage is not there.

I was told that they have no faith in Godfrey or WSPR but I don't know if that’s true.