Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the government remained committed to finding the aircraft if there was strong, new evidence.

He said Ocean Infinity submitted a proposal in June to search a 15,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean.

The search would follow a “no find, no fee” principle, meaning the government would not have to pay if no wreckage was found, he said.

“The search proposed by Ocean Infinity is based on the latest data analysis. Their search proposal may be considered by the government, as the registered owner of MH370,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

Loke was responding to Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) and Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) who had asked for an update on the government’s efforts to locate MH370.

The disappearance of MH370 remains one of the biggest mysteries in aviation. The plane went missing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

In May, Loke said Ocean Infinity’s new search mission would take three months and that it was ready to commence the operation in November.

Chong later asked about the US$70 million reward offered in 2018 if the plane was found, to which Loke simply said the overall search cost remained the same and that this was being discussed with Ocean Infinity.

Loke said any agreement on a new search would need the Cabinet’s approval and would be revealed to the public once approved.