China today said it will send a ship equipped with a sophisticated sonar system to join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 as its fate remains unknown nearly two years after it mysteriously vanished along with 239 people on board, including five Indians.
The 'Dong Hai Jiu 101' will join the search for the Boeing 777 plane in the remote southern Indian Ocean on February 10.
The plane vanished while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 8, 2014.
The Chinese ship will join three other vessels contracted from Dutch firm Fugro currently scouring the sea off Western Australia where the plane is believed to have crashed after diverting from its flight path.
The vessel has been refitted with deep-water search equipment in Singapore, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center under the Ministry of Transport said.
China will make all-out efforts to search the plane and closely coordinate with Malaysia and Australia, Transport Minister Yang Chuantang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.
The Australian-led operation completed a search of 86,423 square km of waters by January 30 and is expected to cover all 120,000 square km of key areas in June, the report said.
Relatives of those aboard MH370 have criticised the Malaysian government and airline for failing to provide credible answers. The disappearance of the sophisticated plane without a trace for nearly two years has become one of aviation's greatest mysteries, generating many conspiracy theories.
