Frustrations grow as search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane drags on without finding any debris

• Paul Toohey in Perth and Cindy Wockner in Kuala Lumpur
• News Corp Australia
• March 31, 2014 4:37AM

Ten ships and as many aircraft search a swathe of the Indian Ocean west of Perth on Sunday for some trace of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, with some objects being spotted. Sarah Toms reports.

THE frustrating riddle of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 has further deepened, with planes and ships working the new search zone 1800km west of Perth failing yesterday to turn up any signs of the wreckage.

Searchers were unable to verify that objects seen in the location yesterday were debris from the missing airliner.

Items hauled aboard the Chinese vessel Haixun 01 and Australia’s HMAS Success on Friday turned out to be sea junk.

The search has shifted 1100km north after calculations by international aviation experts working in Malaysia, who estimate based on radar data that MH370 flew faster and burned more fuel than previously thought.

In the absence of any other significant leads, the search not only presses on, it has intensified.

The naval support vessel Ocean Shield was expected to steam from Garden Island off Perth this morning for the search area, loaded with a towable pinger locator which is hoped may locate the plane’s black box before its batteries expire in around seven days.