Authorities and search teams are being criticized over the failure to find the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 that disappeared on a remote area in the southern part of the Indian Ocean.
The Australian-led search has so far cost millions of dollars and has become one of the most prolific aviation mysteries to date. The search has so far found no sign of the missing airliner or its 239 passengers and crew. The lack of results in the most expensive search in aviation history has led people to rethink the way the mission is being conducted, according to CNBC.
Some experts involved in previous deep water searches say that the Dutch company Fugro NV, the firm at the forefront of the mission, is not using the right technology or personnel, Reuters reported.
Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French naval officer, agrees with this assertion.
"Fugro is a big company but they don't have any experience in this kind of search and it's really a very specialized job," he said. Nargeolet was previously hired by the BEA, France's air accident investigation agency, to participate in the successful search and recovery of Air France Flight AF447 in 2009.
"This is a big job. I'm not an Australian taxpayer, but if I was, I would be very mad to see money being spent like that," he added.
Mike Williamson, founder and president of Williamson & Associates, echoed the same sentiment. Together with France's ixBlue SAS and Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search, Williamson & Associates were previously rejected in their bids to participate in the search for the missing aircraft, Reuters reported.
"I have serious concerns that the MH370 search operation may not be able to convincingly demonstrate that 100 percent sea floor coverage is being achieved," Williamson said.
The Fugro ships are looking for the airliner with sonar developed by U.S. company EdgeTech, which helped successfully locate Air France AF447 when it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.
