The extension will run from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, allowing Ocean Infinity additional time to complete the search of a remaining 7,428.54-square-kilometre area in the southern Indian Ocean, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in a statement.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, disappeared on March 8, 2014, while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite multiple international search operations, the aircraft has never been located.

Ocean Infinity previously conducted an unsuccessful search until 2018. Under a new agreement signed last year, the company resumed operations across a 15,000-square-kilometre search zone under a “no find, no fee” arrangement that provides for a payment of $70 million only if the wreckage is successfully located.

Loke said the extension reflected the government’s continued commitment to providing answers for the families of those aboard the flight.

“This decision is a manifestation of the government’s continuous and unwavering commitment to provide closure for the next of kin of the passengers aboard flight MH370,” he said.

According to the ministry, the additional time also accommodates Ocean Infinity’s commercial obligations, which will require its primary search vessels and equipment to be temporarily redeployed to another project between November 2026 and April 2027 before returning to complete the remaining search area.

The disappearance of MH370 remains one of the most enduring mysteries in modern aviation, with previous multinational search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean yielding only scattered debris confirmed to have originated from the aircraft.

The aircraft arrived Thursday at Piarco International Airport from the Bahamas for refueling before continuing onward to Libya through Cape Verde, according to the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago.Immigration officials inspecting the aircraft found explosives onboard that had not been disclosed in accordance with international aviation and security procedures, the airport authority said in a statement.

Authorities detained the aircraft temporarily while conducting inquiries into the cargo documentation and security compliance. Officials later concluded that the crew and pilot bore no responsibility for the undeclared shipment.

“It was determined that no liability should be attributed to the pilot or crew,” the Airports Authority said, adding that the aircraft and personnel were subsequently authorized to leave Trinidad and Tobago.Officials did not specify the type or quantity of explosives being transported, nor did they disclose the aircraft’s ownership or final recipient in Libya.

Trinidad and Tobago, located off Venezuela’s northeastern coast, has long faced scrutiny from regional security agencies over narcotics trafficking and organized crime activity. The government has declared multiple states of emergency since 2021 in response to rising violent crime rates.

The incident comes amid heightened international monitoring of aviation cargo movements involving sensitive materials across conflict-linked transit routes.