Australian PM: We owe it to families to try to solve Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ...

(CNN) -- Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Friday that his country owes it to the families and friends of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to try to solve the 'extraordinary riddle' of what happened to the plane.

But he reiterated a warning that two objects spotted by satellite in a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean, which are now being sought by aircraft and ships, may not be related to the search for the plane.

Longest piece of debris about 79 ft. long Flight 370: 'New and credible information' 'Credible' debris found in Indian Ocean Data deleted from pilot's simulator? Satellite imagery provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on Thursday, March 20, shows debris in the southern Indian Ocean that could be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The Boeing 777-200ER disappeared during a March 8 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Searchers from 26 countries are trying to pinpoint its location somewhere along two vast arcs, one stretching deep into the Asian landmass, the other far out into the Indian Ocean.Photos: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Malaysia to aid in debris search Thailand radar tracked unknown signal Families wait for word from Australia Data deleted from pilot's simulator?

'It could just be a container that has fallen off a ship,' he said during a visit to Papua New Guinea. 'We just don't know.'

Abbott was responding to a question from a journalist about whether he had 'jumped the gun' Thursday by publicly announcing the discovery of the possible objects in satellite imagery and the decision to send search teams to investigate them.

His words have focused worldwide attention on Australia's part in the massive international hunt for the jetliner, which disappeared March 8 over Southeast Asia with 239 people on board.

Search teams that flew over the area where the two objects are thought to be located drew a blank Thursday, with poor visibility reported. Flights to the zone by long-range reconnaissance planes resumed Friday, Australian authorities said.

The search area, thousands of kilometers southwest of Perth, the main city on Australia's west coast, is 'about the most inaccessible spot you could imagine on the face of the earth,' Abbott said.

Aircraft from Australia and the United States have staggered their departures to the area. The first plane, an Australian air force P3 Orion, arrived in the search area early afternoon local time, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

Given the distance from Australia to where the objects were spotted by a commercial satellite, the aircraft will only have about two hours in the search area before having to start the return journey, the maritime authority said.

'We've been throwing everything we've got at that area to try to learn more about what this debris might be,' Abbott said Friday.

Along with the aircraft, a motley collection of merchant ships are heading to the search area, where they will join a massive Norwegian cargo ship diverted there Thursday at the request of Australia.

The sailors aboard the Norwegian ship worked throughout the night looking for the objects, said Erik Gierchsky, a spokesman for the Norwegian Shipowners Association.

'All men are on deck to continue the search,' he told CNN. 'They are using lights and binoculars.'

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Kyung Lah, Chelsea J. Carter, Mike Pearson, Brian Walker and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.

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