Fugro vessel deployed to search for missing Malaysian MH370 plane

Already a prominent name in subsea inspection, repair and maintenance, Dutch firm Fugro became a global household name this month after it was hired to help scour a deep, remote part of the Indian Ocean floor in search of the missing Malaysian jet MH370.

The Fugro Equator

On 10 June the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) awarded Fugro a contract that will see the deployment of its specialist vessel, equipment and expertise in the underwater search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
The jet vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March with 239 passengers on board and its fate has mystified the world’s top experts and the governments of all countries touched by the tragedy.

Using its advanced survey vessel, Fugro Equator, which is fitted with state-of-the art multibeam echosounder equipment, Fugro will conduct a bathymetric survey of the search area.

The search is now focused on an area in the Indian Ocean 1,800km off the city of Perth, Australia. Two ships, the Fugro Equator and a Chinese vessel, Zhu Kezhen, will survey an area covering up to 60,000 sq km before a contractor begins an intensive undersea search looking for debris.

In places the water is thought to be up to 6,000m deep.

The seabed data obtained will assist in the production of maps of the seabed. Fugro says the area is relatively uncharted and the maps will assist in planning subsequent stages of the MH370 search.