MALAYSIA has not decided to resume the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, and will discuss the matter with China and Australia first, said Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai today.

“We will get comments from tripartite countries China and Australia before we can decide whether to embark on the search. It still needs a process,” he said on the sidelines of an event, where Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail station concept designs were unveiled, at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre.

He was asked about a report by Channel Nine news that Malaysia may resume the search for the missing aircraft next week after a US seabed-exploration firm made a “no find, no fee” offer.

The three countries, which had shared the work of conducting the search after MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014, will only meet after receiving reports from several seabed-exploration firms that have offered to find the jetliner.

Three firms have so far offered to help: Ocean Infinity, Dutch maritime surveyor Fugro and a local company.

“Three proposals came in for us to look into. Only Ocean Infinity will do it at no charge,” said Liow.

Ocean Infinity’s “no find, no fee” offer includes deploying six underwater vehicles to a depth of up to 6,000m to gather data at “record-breaking speeds”.

The ill-fated flight disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 239 passengers and crew members.

Malaysia, Australia and China suspended a nearly three-year search in the southern Indian Ocean on January 17 after efforts failed to find any trace of the missing plane.

Some debris from the aircraft, however, has been found washed up ashore along the southeastern coast of the African continent.

Malaysia has spent nearly RM500 million on the search for MH370 over the past three years. – October 17, 2017.