Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) has been contracted by the Commonwealth of Australia under the direction of Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to provide deepwater towed side scan sonar services in support of continuing the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370). Phoenix and teammate Hydrospheric Solutions, Inc. (HSI) will conduct side scan sonar operations using the highly capable and technologically advanced SLH PS-60 (ProSAS-60), a 6,000 meter depth-rated synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) towed system. Team Phoenix will mobilize aboard the Chinese Rescue Salvage Bureau (RSB) vessel Dong Hai Jiu 101 in Singapore in late January 2016. Following a brief port call in Fremantle, Australia, Phoenix will recommence search operations in February 2016.
Previously Phoenix participated in the search for MH370 from April – June 2014 using their 5,000 meter depth-rated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) “Artemis.” The Phoenix/HSI team was subsequently contracted by Malaysia from October 2014 – June 2015, using HSI’s towed SAS system to perform a high resolution search of the seafloor in their assigned area.
Under a tripartite agreement involving the Governments of Australia, Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China, the MH370 search team, under the leadership of the ATSB, has searched more than 80,000 km2 of seafloor and established an extraordinary record of hard work and focused commitment. “We are deeply honored to be asked to rejoin the search for MH370. We fully understand and appreciate the magnitude of this effort and we look forward to assisting the ATSB in finding MH370 and bringing closure to those impacted by this tragic event,” said Mike Kutzleb, President of Phoenix.
Phoenix, an internationally recognized expert and proven industry leader in the field of undersea search and recovery, provides quick response and turn-key services for the location and recovery of objects from any water depth down to 6,000 msw (20,000 feet of seawater). Phoenix is an employee-owned, ISO 9001-2008 Management System-certified, marine services contractor providing manned and unmanned underwater solutions and project management services to a diverse set of clients worldwide. Services from our seven regional offices include wet and dry hyperbaric welding, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), subsea engineering services, conventional and atmospheric diving, AUVs, Remotely Operated Vehicles, and other robotic systems.