Two Chinese ships in new search area for missing MH370

ABOARD JINGGANGSHAN/HAIXUN 01, March 29 -- Two Chinese vessels are in a new area in the Indian Ocean to search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

The Chinese navy vessel Jinggangshan, which reached the new targeted waters early Saturday and carries two helicopters, is expected to focus on searching for plane surfaces, oil slicks and life jackets in a sea area of some 6,900 square km.

A Xinhua correspondent aboard the warship said the sea was calm but there were low clouds.

Late Friday night, Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 has already reached the area to relocate objects spotted earlier in the day by airborne searchers for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Due to poor visibility at night, no major sightings were reported as of 1:00 a.m. local time Saturday (1700 GMT of Friday) but a few light-colored, palm-size floating objects, according to another Xinhua correspondent aboard the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration ship.

Earlier, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said multiple objects of various colors were spotted by searching planes off Australia's west coast, but "the objects cannot be verified or discounted as being from MH370 until they are relocated and recovered by ships."

The shift of search area to new waters north to the previous one was decided on the analysis of fresh data indicating the plane was flying faster than first thought before it disappeared on March 8.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau believed that this update of search waters is "credible," according to the latest AMSA press briefing.

The statement also said Saturday's multinational search will involve eight aircraft, with six ships expected to reach the revised search area "late in the day or after dark."

It added that weather is going to be suitable for searching but conditions could "deteriorate later in the day."

While the hunt for the missing plane is underway, more suspicious objects with possible linkage to MH370 are spotted.

Also on Saturday, New Zealand Air Vice Marshal Kevin Short told media that a cluster of 11 white rectangular objects is sitting below water surface some 1,600 km west of Perth, Australia, according to the Australian Associated Press.

The objects, one-meter rectangular piece of material, were within five meters away from one another, the general said.