One person is confirmed dead while four others have gone missing after Borr Drilling's jackup rig Prospector 5 sank on the Dussafu Marin licence offshore Gabon on the night (local time) of Saturday, October 24.
The rig had 115 personnel on board when it sank at approximately 20:37 on Saturday during jacking operations. Borr Drilling said 110 people had been safely accounted for and that extensive search and rescue operations were continuing.
The company's preliminary account described the rig punching through during preload activities, after which it lost stability and sank.
Borr Drilling said it had mobilised onshore emergency response personnel. It was coordinating with local authorities and BW Energy, the company that had contracted the rig, to assist affected personnel and look for those missing.
Sources said an employee of Borr, identified as an Indian national, was later found deceased. The missing individuals meanwhile include three Gabonese nationals and another expatriate.
BW Energy said production at its MaBoMo facility had been halted under standard procedure as drilling preparations remained underway.
The operator said the facility and related equipment had not been damaged. It also said no harmful substances had accidentally entered the sea from the facility.
Prospector 5 had been mobilising to MaBoMo to begin the MaBoMo Phase II drilling campaign.
Prospector 5 is a Friede and Goldman-designed self-elevating drilling unit built by China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding in 2014. It is rated for water depths of up to 400 feet (120 metres) and drilling depths of up to 35,000 feet (11,000 metres).
The rig began operations for BW Energy in Gabon in early July. Its contract runs to July 2027, with an option to extend.