mh370.io, compiled by Don Thompson

@mh370.io

85 Followers 28 Following

Micro-blog documenting the renewed, 2025, search for MH370, the Boeing 777-2H6ER/reg 9M-MRO lost on Mar 8th 2014. Don is one of the founding contributors of the Independent Group. Pls use Signal for chat, username: X35200217.08

Predicted track of A86 05 vs actual track (3NM difference)
Map/chart pulling together features related to the search: the Ocean Infinity published search areas (red boundaries), the IG-Ulich priority area (white), final AUV sorties of 28th Mar 2025 (yellow) & today's A86 05 track towards the search area. I'd previously assumed restart point to be closer to label 'Recovery 28T12:17' whereas grey shaded area is unsearched.
Present and projected positions match closely at 1500hrs, 54NM to run at 10kts. ETA at first AUV launch position at approx 2030hrs (UTC) this evening 30th.
This second image depicts features within a 200km radius, centred around coordinates S 34.74º E 93.7º. The present vessel trajectory (yellow) shows that the vessel will intercept the southern half of the the planned seafloor search areas (red). The IG-Ulich priority search area is depicted (white) straddling the 7th arc line-of-position (purple). In the previous phase of search AUVs covered part of the IG-Ulich area and part of the south-east side 'saddle'.
Animation of Armada 86 05's track to the search areas where it will operate Autonomous Underwater Vehicles to conduct a detailed search of the seafloor for the wreckage of Boeing 777-2H6ER, registered as 9M-MRO, lost when operating the MH370 service from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The vessel is expected to begin AUV operations before the end of today (2025-12-30/UTC)
The route depicts transit from vessel's position at 1100UTC Dec 27th to a position where the search was suspended in March this year. The moving icon represents the predicted vessel position while the stationary icon represents position at 2300UTC Dec 28th. Forecast weather is shown for the future positions of Armada 86 05. The Ocean Infinity team have demonstrated exceptional planning for the vessel's passage from port of Benoa, Bali, to reach the search area coincident with favourable weather conditions.
Armada 86 05 vessel position relative to Perth-Fremantle on the WA coast. A86 05 set out from indicated 'WP1', just north of Rottnest Island, then headed southwest to the ATSB's seafloor test target 'range'. Here the ATSB positioned a set of targets on the seafloor for the purpose of confirming equipment function before Fugro & 'Team Phoenix' vessels, departing Fremantle, made the transit to the search area.
A 10ft refrigerated CCU (cargo container unit, DNV certified offshore design) viewed from compressor side.
Simple, direct route for Armada 86 05 from Fremantle, West Australia, to the search area (return to final position of 2025-03-28). Departing Fremantle 2025-12-24T0430UTC. Prevailing weather shown for 2025-12-25T1230UTC, waves expected to exceed 2m during 25th-26th, peaking around -26T0000Z at 3.5m following a peak of prevailing wind at 24kts. Waves and wind to diminish during remainder of voyage. Estimated arrival, 2025-12-28T2030UTC.
Present position of Armada 86 05 off the Western Australia coastline, between Dirk Hartog Is and the Houtman Albrolhos Islands. Waves and wind resisting the vessel's progress to Fremantle where arrival is expected 2025-12-23 apprx 1300hrs AWST. The shaded overlay layer depicts wind strength.
Present position at 1000hrs 2025-12-20 vs putative passage plan for Armada 86 05 (informed by past position, average speed, and known destination). This webapp provides excellent reporting of forecast weather. The vessel is approaching a latitude offshore the most westerly point of mainland Australia, Steep Point, and Dirk Hartog Island. It's then expected to amend course to follow the WA coast past Geraldton towards Perth-Fremantle.
View of Armada 78 06 in open sea mobilised with three AUVs in containerised 'garages' fixed on the vessel's transom. Recovery of one AUV on the 'stinger' is underway.
Track of Armada 86 05, departed from Benoa port & proceeding south, then east around the southern tip of the island of Bali.
A map centred on Penida Island in the Lombok Strait showing the vessel Armada 86 05 turning east out of the Strait's north-south Vessel Traffic Scheme. The vessel proceeds to Benoa port.
Ocean Infinity's Armada 86 05 vessel departing Vung Tau, 2025-11-09.
Portion of a map showing Albay Gulf & Legazpi city where Armada 86 05 docked earlier today, 4th Dec. Legazpi provides transport connections via air to Manila.
Location of Matnog, San Bernardino Strait, 'el embocadero', relative to Philippines-Luzon Island & Manila
Map of Sulu Sea clipped from NOAA's Bathymetry Viewer showing a shaded mosiac depth layer derived from multibeam echo sounder survey. Armada 86 05 position Thu 13 Nov indicated by 'X'.
Showing progress for Armada 78 05 towards the AllenX/Philippines National Museum marine archaelogical survey in San Bernardino Strait. Estimated present position in Sulu Sea is south of Tubbataha Reefs Nat'l Park, heading north-east, crossing 120º longitude. The vessel ETA in the Strait on Friday, late morning local time.
While it's photography rather than cartography this image captured from the International Space Station does illustrate some geographic information: light sources across eastern Ireland, Britain, and north-west Europe. The oil & gas platforms in the North Sea can also be discriminated. I'm drawn to it as I can discern the town that is my home among a line of dots spanning 32km.
An image centred on the Sulu Sea showing a track forecast for the voyage of Armada 86 05 to the San Barnardino Strait which separates the Philippine islands of Luzon and Samar. The vessel Armada 86 05 has been engaged by Allen Exploration, in association with Philippines National Museums, to conduct a seafloor survey searching for colonial era and WWII shipwrecks.
Overview of South China Sea and surrounding territories. Track depicted for the Ocean Infinity vessel Armada 86 05 since its departure from Singapore (bottom left) and its destination, Matnog, indicated top right, approximately 1350NM distant.
A knitted toilet roll/toilet tissue cover
The super soaraway Sun incorrectly states ‘The jet mysteriously vanished from radar on March 2, 2014, while flying to China with 239 people on board and has never been found.’
This image depicts seafloor bathymetry (depth), compiled from GEBCO sources, showing mix of 30-50m resolution detail &, to right/east side, the low resolution 'blur' derived from SRTM. The canyons & escarpments present a challenge to acquisition of side scan sonar imagery. An AUV will tend to navigate away from obstacles while it can be 'tended' with navigation assistance from the vessel to work difficult areas.
Area of Indian Ocean seafloor approx 64km east-west, 36km north-south centred around latitude S36.4º, longitude E92.0º. Vessel track depicted as red line. Vessel manoeuvring to launch and conduct navigation checks with AUVs operating just above seafloor.
Image of Indian Ocean centred around S36.4º E92.0º, the view extent is approx 60km E-W x 36km N-S. Bathymetry, the seafloor topology, is show by shading. Past 24hrs track for Ocean Infinity's vessel, Armada 78 06, is illustrated - its approaches to the seafloor features are apparent. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles equipped with side scan sonar are launched to conduct image acquisition of the seafloor.
Map showing some lines! The grey-orange line crossing from right to left is the track of Armada 78 05 over the past 18 hrs. It passes close to the unshaded red boundary, the designated area of interest. The pink-red shaded area denotes an area previously searched. The orange icons are long line tuna fishing vessels, the blue icons are marker beacons on the long (10s of kilometres) lines deployed by the fishing vessels.
Armada 78 06 pictured while undergoing replenishment at Henderson, West Australia. The AUVs are operated from 3 containerised hangars mounted on the transom (hidden by aft superstructure). The tower/gantry is a LARS, launch and recovery system, designed to handle a geotechnical payload through the vessel's moon pool. That payload is not deployed on the vessel for this operation. Visible through the gantry is the fast recovery boat, and its LARS, used to aid recovery of the AUVs.
An area of ocean/seafloor in the southern Indian Ocean where the search for wreckage of MH370 is underway. An image layer shows geological escarpments in the area, these are getting particular attention: acquiring side scan sonar is particularly difficult on rough gradients. The present track of Armada 78 06 into the zone is depicted and a specific area that is expected to be given attention.