Next phase in search for Flight MH370

Three ships will use “towfish” – underwater vessels equipped with sonar to create high-resolution images of the ocean floor – in the latest stage of the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 

General search area 

Search zone

Search zone: 60,000-sq-km area lies along what is known as seventh arc — stretch of ocean where investigators believe aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed

Ocean depth: Ranges from 600m to 6,500m

The ships: GO Phoenix, provided by Perth-based GO Marine, Equator and Discovery, provided by Dutch contractor Fugro

GO Phoenix

ProSAS-60 towfish:  Dragged slowly through water, 100m above seabed 

Neutrally buoyant sled carries sonar 
Length: 4m

2.5-5km/h

Synthetic aperture sonar (SAS): combines multiple acoustic pings to form seafloor imagery at 10cm by 10cm resolution

Mar 8, 2014: Last contact with Flight MH370

Kuala Lumpu
MALAYSIA

Seventh arc

Indian Ocean

Broken Ridge

AUSTRALIA
Perth

2,000km 1,240 miles

Cable – up to 10,000m long

Depressor weight cuts ocean turbulence

Maximum range: Up to 1,500m per side. Can cover 190-sq-km area per day 
 
Sources: Go Marine Group, Williamson & Associates, Raytheon 



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