Borr Drilling has confirmed that its Prospector 5 offshore drilling rig sank off the coast of Gabon on Saturday, October 24, following an apparent seabed failure during preparations for a drilling campaign operated by BW Energy.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:37 p.m. local time while the jack-up rig was conducting preloading and jacking operations at the Dussafu Marin oil licence.

Of the 115 personnel aboard the rig, 110 were safely accounted for, while five remained missing when Borr Drilling issued its initial statement on Sunday.

Reuters subsequently reported, citing three sources familiar with the incident, that one of the missing workers had been found dead, leaving four unaccounted for. However, Gabonese authorities had not officially confirmed the fatality and continued to report five missing personnel.

Preliminary findings suggest the rig suffered a punch-through event, in which one or more supporting legs suddenly penetrate weaker seabed sediments, potentially causing a rapid loss of stability. The Prospector 5 subsequently sank.

Borr Drilling activated its emergency response team and is coordinating rescue efforts with BW Energy and Gabonese authorities.

Gabon has also mobilized its navy and launched an investigation into the accident.

Borr Drilling CEO Bruno Morand expressed concern for the missing personnel, emphasizing that the company’s immediate focus remains rescue operations and supporting everyone affected.

The Prospector 5 is a 2014-built Friede & Goldman JU-2000E jack-up drilling unit designed to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet.

BW Energy confirmed that production at its MaBoMo facility on the Dussafu licence had been shut down under standard procedures associated with drilling preparations. The company reported no damage to the production installation or associated equipment and no accidental discharge of harmful substances from the facility.

The Dussafu development is a key producing asset for BW Energy, which holds a 73.5% operating interest, alongside Panoro Energy’s 17.5% stake and Gabon Oil Company’s 9% interest.

Earlier in October, BW Energy announced successful appraisal results at Dussafu, identifying approximately 8 million to 9 million barrels of gross recoverable oil. The discoveries support additional drilling under the MaBoMo Phase 2 development program.

That expansion was expected to add as much as 20,000 barrels per day of gross oil production at peak rates, with first oil from the new wells targeted for the first quarter of 2027.

The loss of the Prospector 5 introduces uncertainty over the development schedule, although BW Energy has not disclosed whether the incident will delay planned drilling activities or affect its production targets.

The immediate priorities remain the search for missing personnel, determining the cause of the sinking and assessing the potential operational consequences for the Dussafu development.

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