[ventus45]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year K and all.

Re depth, so far as I know, OI's AUV's are rated to 6,000 metres and the ROV's similar, so anything within the weight limits of the ROV's should be recoverable.

Re why, there could be many motives, but to "vanish" was central to his objective, no findie, no proof, no convictie.
Personally, I think it is a case of giving the Malaysia authorities the right royal digital salute, and they know it.
Z had a point to prove: 'I'm smarter than the lot of you incompetent corrupt imbeciles", i.e. it's a variation of 'catch me if you can' transformed into 'find me if you can'.

So far, he is winning hands down.

I am not confident it will ever be found:
(a) where the mathematicians think it is.
(b) where Malaysia is happy to have a search.

Personally, I believe that it will not be found, until the search strategist "play the man - instead of the ball", where the ball (in this case) has been, and continues to be, religiously confined to endless number crunching on suspect data. You have to wonder why that is so.