Hopes searchers had secured a breakthrough in their hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 have been dismissed.
Hopes rose among enthusiasts eager for a development in the whereabouts of the missing aeroplane when “unusual” activity from search vessels being operated by marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity was spotted last week.
One of the ships operated by the private firm, which is co-ordinating the renewed search for MH370, appeared to have returned to a location it had searched just days before.
And those keeping an eye on the search believed the ship was equipped with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that can be used to sweep areas under the water.
However, science journalist Jeff Wise, who specialises on aviation and has become a leading voice on MH370 , has dismissed the theory.
“I feel like it’s necessary to address some misinformation that’s been circulating on the internet.
“There have been claims that the ship had stopped because it was deploying ROVs to take a closer look at something on the seabed,” he said.
“The reason for the ship holding tight was given quite clearly by Ocean Infinity itself, that it was waiting out bad weather.
A computer-generated image of what MH370 might look like smashing into the ocean
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“Also, we know that the ship does not have ROVs onboard, that’s another piece of misinformation that has been circulating.”
Clearing up the confusion, he added: “They are not ROVs, they are refrigeration units.
“Why do they have refrigeration units? One of the things they can do is store food. Maybe the crew wants to stay out for longer than they otherwise could, but we don’t really know.”
Mr Wise said that while he understood “the desire to wish for the best possible outcome”, some people online were wrongly interpreting actions in the search as positive developments.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON MH370
Map of areas in which MH370 could have gone missing | GB NEWSMH370 went missing in March 2014, with very little still known about the final resting place of the plane.
None of the bodies of the 239 individuals onboard the flight have been recovered, with families still unclear as to what happened to their loved ones.
The new search for M370 got underway at the end of last year on December 30, with Ocean Infinity heading up the effort on a “no find, no fee” basis.
Online theories around the search have partially emerged because of a lack of information being openly shared by the company.
An Ocean Infinity spokesman noted that owing to the operation’s sensitive nature, official communications from the much anticipated new search would be issued by the Malaysian government.
