Malaysians, Aussies to ink new deal on search and discovery of MH370
The Malaysian Insider – 56 minutes agoRELATED CONTENT
- Malaysians, Aussies to ink new deal on search and discovery of MH370
Australian officials are hammering out a new agreement put forward by Putrajaya that will set out critical guidelines in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, CNN reported today.
The new agreement was a fine tune of an earlier deal, which outlined Australia’s leading role in the search and discovery for the missing Boeing 777-200ER (9M-MRO).
The latest agreement included scenarios if the jetliner was found, the international broadcaster reported today.
In the report, Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the proposal covered three points:
• Handling of debris: the framework outlines the chain of custody for any wreckage, including a specific location where the debris will be taken and protocol for their handling and examination.
• Care of human remains: the proposal addresses sensitive questions of how any human remains found in the southern Indian Ocean will be recovered and treated.
• Widening the search: the document discusses how best to deploy resources, including new underwater search assets, in a considerably wider search area, if the current series of underwater missions by the Bluefin-21 fail to uncover any sign of the flight data recorders or other debris.
"The Australian government is currently considering that proposal from the Malaysians and will respond as quickly as possible.
"We hope to have resolved this within the next week," Dolan reportedly told CNN.
Declining to elaborate further, he said that the agreement would probably be confidential.
According to the ATSB chief, the earlier agreement signed between the two countries laid out specific signposts in the search, recovery and investigative timeline that required Canberra to consult Putrajaya before deciding how to proceed.
The new framework provided further details on existing and new decision points.
"There's communication at all levels from prime minister to prime minister down, including (between me) and my Malaysian counterpart," Dolan reportedly said, adding that Chinese officials have also been involved in the discussions.
According to CNN, Dolan also said that he expected ongoing data analysis by an international team of experts in Kuala Lumpur to come up with a further refinement of the search area in the next couple of weeks, adding that given that the area for the search has been moved twice, there was the possibility that it would move again.
Three of the safety bureau's investigators are part of the team in Malaysia since early April, who were studying data from British satellite operator Inmarsat and details about aircraft performance to determine the most likely area where the plane with 239 people on board may have entered the water, CNN reported.
"They are literally sitting around a big table with their own computers having conversations with a team leader," Dolan reportedly said, prefacing his remarks by acknowledging that he was commenting on a Malaysian-led investigation, according to the CNN report.
Top officials in Malaysia and Australia, including Prime Minister Tony Abbott, had said that the next few days of the underwater search by the Bluefin-21, now in its 10th day, would be critical as the Bluefin is expected to finish its search in what was dubbed the highest probability area covering a 10km radius around a second acoustic signal detected for about 13 minutes on April 5 by a pinger locater towed by the Australian ship, Ocean Shield.
Australian investigators believe the signal is from one of the black boxes on board the flight.
CNN further reported Dolan as saying that finding the flight data recorders remained the safety bureau's top priority in its mission to piece together what happened during the flight.
"It's even more important for the families of those who've lost loved ones to get some certainty about what's happened and, therefore, where their loved ones may be," he reportedly said.
Under the Chicago Convention, which regulates international air travel, the investigation into MH370 is the responsibility of Malaysia. However, in early April, Australia accepted an invitation from Malaysia to lead the search for the missing aircraft and participate in the investigation as an accredited representative.
Today, the Australian-led mission said up to 10 military aircraft and 12 ships would assist in the search for MH370 in the Indian Ocean. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has planned a visual search area of about 37,948 sq km. – April 23, 2014.
