The search for the missing Malaysian plane MH370 has taken a mysterious twist with the search vessel Seabed Constructor shutting down its Automatic Identification System or AIS for more than 72 hours while busy off the Australian coast.
That led family and MH370 watchers to go into meltdown believing something was up – had they found the wreckage?
The AIS was switched off on January 31st or ten days into the search and then reconnected on the night of 5th February. The ship left Durban in South Africa on January 2nd heading for the new area and carrying a number of submersibles which experts hope will finally locate the missing plane.
Search Vessel Used To Locate #MH370 Mysteriously Vanishes https://t.co/4n7Qz70pcv pic.twitter.com/7fQGwBUHkr
— Malaysian Digest (@malaysiandigest) February 6, 2018
Ocean Infinity, the company which has signed a no-find no-pay deal with Malaysia, has not said why their vessel switched off the AIS. Speculation is that they have found something of significance but its probably not MH370. It may just be a treasure ship according to some.
#MH370 With today’s search update from Malaysia, I have decided to increase the fee that will be awarded to the person with the closest estimate to $1,000 for the duration of the search as long as the search remains south of -28 degrees South Latitude. pic.twitter.com/fKRCJfhKhL
— Mike Chillit (@MikeChillit) February 6, 2018
It’s cruel if that’s the case, because the main problem with locating MH370 was that someone on board switched off its transponder and ACARS system of tracking before it apparently turned South West into the deep Indian Ocean.
Now Reddit and other platforms are abuzz with the theory that the Captain of the Seabed Constructor switched things off because of a possible location of a ship laden with treasure.
One such is the S.V. Inca, built in Peru and which sank more than a hundred years ago. There’s a lot of talk today about what the S.V. Inca was carrying, including gold.
#MH370 I need to make something clear. Seabed Constructor did NOT disappear from RADAR, as some outlets are reporting. She disappeared from the AIS system. Read about AIS here https://t.co/6xa5yDSNXf
— Kevin Rupp (@LabratSR) February 6, 2018
The Seabed Constructor is now heading back to Freemantle in Western Australia and should arrive there on the 8th February.
Why the captain shut down the AIS will be a matter of conjecture for some time until he clears up the mystery. In the meantime, its more frustrating secrecy for the families who have been mentally tortured for this entire period.
Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. It was carrying 239 passengers and crew.
Desmond Latham 