The full detailed investigation report into the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will be released upon completion of the latest search efforts, says the investigation team, exactly four years after the passenger jetliner vanished from the radar screen.

The publication of the detailed investigation report, "Safety Report," based on currently available information has been suspended pending the outcome of the latest search efforts, since any new evidence uncovered is likely to significantly affect the investigation.

“In the event the aircraft is found, the team will conduct further investigation. If the aircraft is not found and a decision is made to discontinue the search, the team will resume the completion of the report and release it in the months ahead,” said the Malaysian International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team in a statement today.

On Jan 11, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai announced that under an agreement with the US-based seabed exploration company, Ocean Infinity Limited, the search operation for MH370 would resume in mid-January with the Seabed Constructor vessel covering a 25,000 sq km area within 90 days and expected to end in June.

The ship’s primary mission is to locate the wreckage, and/or both flight recorders, cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder.

In the search operation that is based on the “no cure, no fee” policy, the payment will only be made when the debris of the missing aircraft is found and confirmed by a third party.

The fourth interim statement also stated that aircraft debris possibly from MH370 were still being discovered around the southeastern coast of the African continent and the adjacent islands.

It said an updated summary of the debris recovered was published on April 30, 2017, together with the debris examination reports and these were available on the websites of the Transport and Communications and Multimedia Ministries.

According to the statement, at the time of writing, as reported in the Interim Statement released in 2017, three items of debris remain as being confirmed from MH370, namely the right flaperon, a part of the right outboard flap and a section of the left outboard flap.

"A few other pieces of debris were determined to be almost certain from MH370, including some cabin interior items. There is continuing activity to retrieve and examine any new debris that is discovered,” said the statement, adding that to date, the main wreckage of the vanished Boeing 777-200ER had not been found.

Flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board vanished while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

In January last year, Australia, Malaysia and China jointly suspended a two-year underwater search for the aircraft. No sign of the plane was found in the 120,000 sq km search area in the southern Indian Ocean.

- Bernama