Footage of ‘Dragon Prince’, the EdgeTech DT-1 tow fish that is being used on Fugro Discovery to search the sea floor for MH370. In this film, ‘Dragon Prince’ is launched for the first time by Fugro crew members as they test its capabilities. Courtesy: ATSB, video by ABIS Chris Beerens, RAN.

Footage of ‘Dragon Prince’, the EdgeTech DT-1 tow fish that is being used on Fugro Discovery to search the sea floor for MH370. In this film, ‘Dragon Prince’ is launched for the first time by Fugro crew members as they test its capabilities. Courtesy: ATSB, video by ABIS Chris Beerens, RAN.

VESSELS involved in the search for MH370 are now locked in a race against time to complete their work before bad weather makes it impossible to continue.

In the last week, searchers lost four days due to cyclonic conditions in the southern Indian Ocean.

As a result, they managed to cover just one per cent more of the high priority search area formulated through analysis of satellite communications with the Boeing 777.

Around 22,000 square kilometres, or 36 per cent of the “seventh arc” has now been scoured — leaving nearly 38,000 square kilometres to be scanned in under three months.

In coming days, all but one vessel — Go Phoenix — will return to port at Fremantle for a scheduled visit further slowing the progress of the search for MH370.

The Malaysia Airlines jet was carrying 239 passengers and crew when it disappeared on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 last year.

Nothing has been found of the aircraft despite the $60 million underwater search that began in October after months of preparation and sea floor surveys.

In the latest update from the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, bad weather and equipment issues are revealed as limiting the search effort in the last week.

“Assuming no other significant delays with vessels, equipment or from the weather, the current

underwater search area may be largely completed around May 2015," said the update, which also provided a video of the equipment being used.

Exactly what will happen then if nothing has been found by May remains unclear, although the Australian, Malaysian and Chinese Governments have all vowed to continue searching until the mystery of MH370 is solved.

Poor weather is likely to make the continuation of the search too hazardous during the winter months, and it is possible a broader search area may be established.

The Malaysian Government has formally declared the disappearance of MH370 an accident, and stated all on board must be presumed dead.

The declaration allows compensation payments to be made to the next of kin, as outlined by the Montreal Convention.

Video credit: ATSB, video by ABIS Chris Beerens, RAN.