Missing MH370: Eyes on decks in arduous hunt for plane

PERTH: Scanning the choppy waters of the southern Indian Ocean on Saturday for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight are expert spotters relying mostly on binoculars and the human eye to locate the jet.

High-tech satellites and sophisticated radar systems have so far found no trace of the plane that vanished two weeks ago, forcing rescuers to switch tack in the search for any possible debris from Flight MH370.

Australian authorities, who are coordinating the search in a vast region 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth, said Friday that teams were prioritising visual clues over radar after poor weather had hampered the operation.

In the northern sector of the plane's projected flight path, eyes and binoculars are also in use as rescuers checking Southeast Asian seas battle turbulence and a blazing sun as the arduous hunt enters its third week.

Six aircraft flew low over Australia's search zone on Saturday with skilled observers looking out of the windows in an operation Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said was "intensive".

"While these aircraft are equipped with very advanced technology, much of this search is actually visual - using the eyes of men and women to be able to look across the ocean and try and pick up any pieces of debris and parts that perhaps may be related to this aircraft's disappearance," he told reporters.

Norwegian merchant ship, the St Petersburg, is already at the scene.

"So far, the vessel has not spotted anything unusual in the water," said Olav Sollie from the shipping company that owns the boat, Hoegh Autoliners, adding that fog hindered visibility on Friday.

"I suppose that the biggest chance is probably for an airplane to spot something in the water, when the vessel can be directed to that position and be in position to identify what it actually is."

Sollie said the vehicle-carrier did not have advanced search equipment but that "the most effective (approach) in such operations is actually using your eyes and binoculars".

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Missing MH370: Eyes on decks in arduous hunt for plane