@wes_wall:
It sounds like they are just switching gears from localization to recovery, not that they are done yet.
From the same BEA site:
"The operation would thus be divided into two phases:
- a localisation phase (phase 4) financed by the industry, which will use a relatively small and thus less expensive vessel;
- a phase of detailed observation and recovery if the wreckage is discovered (phase 5), financed by the French State."
"Phase 4 will come to an end upon detection and identification of the wreckage by the BEA, and at the latest, at the end of the third stage in July. If the wreckage is found, the BEA will immediately launch phase 5, involving detailed observation and recovery, by calling on one of the three vessels pre-selected in the meantime, which will be chosen on the basis of their availability at the time of the discovery."
The New Undersea Search Campaign