More than 300 flights. Over 3,000 hours in the air. A staggering 4 million square kilometers of ocean.
The numbers speak to the breadth of the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
The results speak to the fruitlessness of it.
The plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared on March 8. And despite an expansive international search, officials have nothing to show for it.
So authorities are moving on to the next phase of the search -- one that will be even more challenging.
"We know very clearly the area of the follow-up search will be even broader, with more difficulties and tougher tasks," Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuantang said Monday.
What's next
Australian, Malaysian and Chinese officials will meet in Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday to hash out plans for the next stage of the hunt.
One group will analyze the data and information collected so far. Another will look at the resources needed.
Perhaps the most challenging task: scouring unchartered territory.
Because the next phase will involve an intense underwater search, a key element of the new phase will be a detailed mapping of the ocean floor.
"We know that the water is very deep. And for the next stage .... we need to have an understanding of the ocean floor," Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Monday.
Truss said he's not sure how deep the ocean is in the expanded search area because "it's never been mapped."
The tools
The next stage of the hunt will involved highly specialized technology, including towed side-scan sonar and more autonomous underwater vehicles, Truss said.
"You can count on one hand the number of devices that can do this work, when you talk about towed sonar devices," said Angus Houston, chief coordinator of the joint search effort.
Truss said he's optimistic that the new devices will be in the water within a month or two. In the meantime, he said, the Bluefin-21 drone will continue underwater missions.
The Bluefin-21 has already scanned 40 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean floor, but with no luck. The United States has authorized the use of the drone for another month.
The cost
Australia estimates the next phase of the search will cost about $60 million, Truss said. He said officials will consult with Malaysia, China and other parties on how that cost would be shared.
Until now, all countries involved in the search have paid for their own costs.
"Whenever we've asked, people have come forward," Truss said. But "I think we'll be looking at increasing involvement from the manufacturers and their host countries."
Letting others in
The new phase will allow more parties to join the search, acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.
"This gives an opportunity to those not involved in the early phase of the search and rescue efforts to come on board," he said.
Those could involve research institution and more countries, he said.
Lessons learned
It took two years to find the wreckage of Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean.
Truss said authorities can learn from that effort.
"There were some quite long gaps in their search, and we don't want that to happen in this instance," Truss said. "That's why we're starting work this week on actually putting together the next stages of the search."
But as officials from this search have already learned, hope can dash as quickly as it arises.
"We've been confident on the basis of the information provided that the search area was the right one," Truss said. "But in practice, that confidence has not been converted into us discovering any trace of the aircraft."
Latest Stories
-
Border restrictions impact businesses and residents amid Togo elections
10 mins -
We’ve helped close leakage gaps – SML maintains
10 mins -
Ketu South MCE commissions an ultra-modern toilet facility in Aflao
21 mins -
Sunyani East parliamentary elections: Ransford Antwi to contest as an independent candidate
30 mins -
Publish full KPMG report on SML/GRA contract – NDC to Akufo-Addo
36 mins -
Inspire Action trains 24 people in vocational training
39 mins -
The government pays little attention to the health sector – Sammy Gyamfi
44 mins -
Peter Amewu mourns after mother’s death
47 mins -
Contract between the government and SML unlawful- Sammy Gyamfi
50 mins -
Dennis Agyei Boateng: Harnessing the power of development communication for Ghana’s development
53 mins -
Achieving equity in the fight against malaria requires greater domestic resource mobilisation
54 mins -
MP Murder Case: Defence Counsel to file ex-parte application to subpoena persons to assist trial
57 mins -
Eat healthy foods to attain anti-aging goals – NutritionistÂ
59 mins -
4 little ways to tell if you’re crazy-in-love or just crazy-obsessed
1 hour -
Court jails man seven years for cocoa smugglingÂ
1 hour