Despite Staggering Costs, Australia Continues Search for MH370

Australia is estimated to have spent US$43 million in search of the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 airplane. 

The staggering amount of cost triggers another question as to whether who will afford the cost for further attempt in searching the now-two-months-gone plane. 

Kym Bergmann, editor of Asia-Pacific Defense reporter and a former government defence adviser, has calculated that the air and water search has cost Australia about US$1 million per day. According to Australian Defense Force figures, the HMAS Success alone cost about US$550,000 per day to operate.

"This figure did not include other ships involved in the search such as the HMAS Toowoomba, MV Seahorse Standard, HMAS Perth and Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield, as well as a number of RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft," he said, as cited onnews.com.au.

Last month, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has deflected questions about cost by confirming that each country had been bearing its own costs for the challenging search. "We have been essentially using Australian military assets, assets we would be paying for anyway," Prime Minister Abbott said.

As the next phase of the search, which is expected to cost about US$60 million, is to begin, Australia is hoping to split the bill with other countries such as Malaysia and China. On Monday, May 5, 2014, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said that a tender is likely to be held for a wider underwater search.

Source : Tempo