Based on mm43's positions in post:
http://www.pprune.org/5710975-post1125.html, I am puzzled by the northern excursion on 5/22. Based on the times of the preceding and trailing positions at the south westerly search area, they spent less than 20hours at the northern site, possibly much less. One of those positions is on the eastern edge of search zone 2 of BEA's 5/4 extended search areas. <20hrs is not sufficient time to deploy transponders, launch and recover the AUVs and recover the transponders, and also have any useful bottom time. Zone 2 is 16 x 3.5km and would take about 16-18 hours to search using both AUVs, based on the search rate I proposed in post:
http://www.pprune.org/5692187-post1029.html. Note that at both these positions, Seabed Worker was travelling at a transit speed, and was not loitering. I wonder what that excursion was for.
I find it interesting that on 5/23 Seabed worker appears to have started a new search area, as noted by mm43. I thought they were due in port at either Recife or the Cape Verde Is. on 5/25, and would have had to leave the area no later than the evening of 5/22 to make either transit, assuming a 12 knot cruise speed (
http://www.seabedgroup.no/attachment...WORKER-007.pdf).
Edit: I re-read the BEA announcement of 5/4, and it says "The search operations in the zone will be completed around 25 May." So I guess the 5/25 date is for the end of the search, not the arrival in port. Sorry for the noise.