MH370 search delayed after Bluefin, 'Ocean Shield' damaged

The underwater search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been delayed, as the ships involved in the hunt have damaged.

The US Navy's Bluefin 21 submarine has a malfunctioning part and a broken transponder aboard its Australian mother ship, Ocean Shield.

According to CNN, the Bluefin-21 is the only submersible hunting for the Boeing 777.

The Bluefin-21 and the transponder were damaged this week when the vehicle was being hoisted onto the deck of the Ocean Shield.

The vehicle struck the navigation transponder, which extends over the side of the ship, Michael Dean, the U.S. Navy's deputy director of ocean engineering, said.

According to the report, repairs have been made to the submersible, but in subsequent tests, operators said the acoustic communications link on the Bluefin-21 and the navigation transponder on the Ocean Shield malfunctioned.

Parts necessary for the repairs are being shipped from the United Kingdom to Australia, Dean added.