BEIJING, March 28 -- Three more Chinese vessels are heading to a fresh search zone around 1,850 km west of Perth in Australia, hunting for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday.

The new search area, around 319,000 square km, is about four times bigger than the previous one in the southern Indian Ocean and 1,100 km to its northeast, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Bureau.

Spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press briefing that Ministry of Transport vessels Nanhaijiu 115 and Donghaijiu 101, the Navy's Jinggangshan and a People's Liberation Army Air Force Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft are heading to the new search zone.

Chinese Maritime Safety Administration patrol ship Haixun 01 is already in the zone, he said.

Haixun 31 and Nanhaijiu 101 of the Ministry of Transport and the Navy's Yongxingdao are still combing the eastern part of the southern Indian Ocean for the missing plane, Hong added.

He pointed out China has provided Malaysia with consistent assistance in its search for the plane.

China has maintained close communication and coordination with Malaysia since MH370 disappeared and provided information to assist its search work, Hong said, noting that China has repeatedly ask Malaysia to provide information, search for the plane, investigate the accident and inform the families of the passengers without delay.

Hong emphasized that all countries have reached consensus about continuing search efforts as long as there is a glimmer of hope.