Machinbird
With respect, I saw it in a photograph taken from a search aircraft that was on station.
If it hadn't been id'd, BEA couldn't have so skillfully dismissed it as irrelevant. That the a/c was on station is important, it serves to point out the evidentiary value of the sheen observed, and the irresponsibility of BEA in being cavalier with a 'remote' conclusion.
In any investigation, ignoring or witholding evidence is a serious crime. Knowing this, I'm certain the authorities have fully tested and assessed the value of the "slick".
Mach: "We only know of it now because a satellite...." Wait, you then say the report carries a mention of it? Which?
bear