New satellite images spot object

Go on board a search plane as it tries to find missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Courtesy: Justin Benson-Cooper

could this be part of Flight MH370 ... The new satellite image of an object in the southern Indian Ocean. Source: Twitter

The Malaysia Transport Minister says the China ambassador has received satellite photos of an object in the Southern Corridor.

CHINESE satellites have captured new images of floating debris in the southern Indian Ocean off Perth and ships are on their way to the location.

The debris is about 22.5 metres long and 13 metres wide.

The images were taken on Tuesday, March 18 — two days after the first images were captured by commercial satellites and about 120km further south west.

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Could this be Flight MH370? ... A new image captured by a Chinese satellite in the southern Indian Ocean. Source: Twitter

Malaysia's Defence and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein made the announcement as "breaking news" midway through a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

After being handed a piece of paper with the notes of a telephone conversation on it, Mr Hussein told the media that the Chinese had a "satellite image of floating objects in the southern corridor".

Ships were now on the way to the location, he said.

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New development ... Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein shows a note from the Chinese ambassador stating that they have received new satellite images. Source: AFP

He said the news had just been given to him as he spoke and had no more details.

The note he was given read: "Sir, Ambassador Huong informed they received satellite image of floating object in southern corridor. They will be sending ships to verify. The Beijing Government will announce this in a couple of hours. The floating object — 22m long, 30m wide."

This was later clarified — the object was 22.5 metres by 13 metres.

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Determined to find the object ... Royal Australian Airforce Flying Officer Peter Moore (centre) after returning his RAAF Orion plane to Pearce Air Force base in Bullsbrook, 35 kms north of Perth. Source: AFP

Authorities said the "information was received by phone during the pros conference and was initially misheard".

The information came as Mr Hussein was giving his daily press briefing about the search for MH370, which has now been ongoing for two weeks.

News of the new Chinese satellite images come days after Australian satellite images also picked up what appeared to be debris about 2300km south west of Perth. That debris was about the same size — the largest piece was 24 metres long.

Wording on a Chinese website which carried the satellite image late yesterday, said it was taken on March 18 — two days after the Australian images were taken — said the floating objects were seen about 120km southwest of the place where Australian satellite imagery captured debris.

Since the Australian announcement of debris spotted, a flotilla of ships and sophisticated military aircraft have searched the area for several days with no sign of the debris. With a tropical cyclone developing conditions are expected to deteriorate.

Mr Hussein paid "special tribute to the men and women from all countries who are putting themselves in harm's way" to search for MH370.

He said Saturday's search involved 10,500 square nautical miles searched by six aircraft and two merchant ships. Australian Navy ship, the HMAS Success, was due in the area late Saturday and British Navy ship, the HMS Echo is en route to the Indian Ocean, with special underwater sensors.

Mr Hussein said he had no idea of the cost of the two-week search, across two vast areas in the north and south.

"Nobody, not the Malaysian Government, none of our partners, have talked about dollars and cents. It is all about trying to find the aircraft," Mr Hussein said.

"Whenever there is still hope that the passengers are still alive we must continue to find that aircraft," he said.

Mr Hussein and Malaysia's Civil Aviation chief also denied that transcripts, purportedly of the last conversation between the two pilots and air traffic control, were accurate.

And Mr Hussein said preliminary investigations showed no link between any cargo on board the plane and the plane's disappearance.

"Preliminary investigation has not shown any link to anything (in the cargo) that might have contributed to MH370's disappearance," Mr Hussein said.

Two military planes from China arrived today in Perth to join Australian, New Zealand and US aircraft in the search. Japanese planes will arrive tomorrow and ships were in the area or on their way.

The flights today in relatively good weather did not yield any results, and it was not immediately known if the newly released Chinese satellite image would change the search area tomorrow.

Even if both satellites detected the same object, it may be unrelated to the plane.

Erik van Sebille, an oceanographer at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, said the currents in the area typically move at about one metre per second although can sometimes move faster.

The Boeing 777 disappeared with 239 people on board less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, March 8.

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