New equipment gives fresh hope of finding MH370

New undersea equipment is set to give the hunt for MH370 a boost when it reaches the search area late this afternoon.

The first of three ships with underwater surveillance equipment will arrive at the Indian Ocean site today, almost seven months after the Malaysian Airlines flight mysteriously vanished.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan said the new equipment would allow search crews to more closely investigate the ocean floor.

He said the seabed in the area was "complicated" due to the number of ridges and deep valleys in the area.

The bureau's plan is to continue the search for a year, by which time they hope to have found the missing plane.

"We've got a cautious level of optimism," Mr Dolan said.