TEMPO.CO, Canberra - Dutch company Fugro will lead the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at the Indian Ocean seafloor which is believed to be where the plane crashed.
Reuters reported Australia has officially given a commercial contract to Fugro on August 6 to search for the Boeing 777 ER aircraft.
Australian Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Fugro was selected after "offering the best value-for-money technical solution" for the search.
"I remain cautiously optimistic that we will locate the missing aircraft within the priority search area," Truss told reporters in Canberra.
The next search will hopefully start in one month and will spend up to one year. This search focuses on a 60,000-sq km patch of ocean some 1,600 km west of Perth.
Fugro will use two vessels equipped with water vehicles carrying side scan sonar, multi beam echo sounders and video cameras to explore the seafloor, which is close to 5,000 meters deep.
The Dutch company has already mapped details of the seafloor for search area with a Chinese naval vessel.
Truss said Australia would have talks with Malaysia at the end of this month about operating costs. Australia has prepared funds up to 90 million Australian dollars or close to Rp1 trillion for the search. The operation is estimated to spend 52 million Australian dollars, making it the most expensive operation ever undertaken.
ANINGTIAS JATMIKA | REUTERS
