LIBREVILLE, Gabon, October 27, 2026 — Five workers remain missing after a drilling rig operated by Borr Drilling sank off the coast of Gabon, prompting an extensive search and rescue operation and raising fresh concerns over offshore drilling safety in one of Central Africa’s oil-producing regions.
The Prospector 5, a jack-up drilling rig contracted to BW Energy, sank late on Saturday, October 24, during preparations for a drilling campaign in the Dussafu Marin offshore licence area, near the southern coastal town of Mayumba.
Borr Drilling said 110 of the 115 personnel aboard had been accounted for, while rescue teams continued searching for the remaining five.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:40 p.m. local time during jacking and preload operations, a procedure used to establish the stability of a drilling rig before operations begin.
According to preliminary findings released by the company, the rig experienced a punch-through event, in which one of its supporting legs unexpectedly penetrated the seabed, causing the structure to lose stability and subsequently sink.
The accident occurred before drilling operations had commenced.
Bruno Morand, chief executive of Borr Drilling, expressed concern for the missing workers and said the company was concentrating its efforts on the rescue operation.
“We are deeply concerned for those who remain unaccounted for and everyone affected by this incident. Our immediate priority is supporting the ongoing search and rescue efforts and the welfare of all personnel involved,” Morand said.
The company said its emergency response team was working alongside Gabonese authorities and BW Energy to coordinate the rescue.
“Borr Drilling’s onshore emergency response team continues to work with local authorities and our customer, to respond to the incident, support those affected and to continue to search for missing personnel,” the company said in an October 26 statement.
“Extensive marine and air search and rescue operations remain ongoing.”
The statement also challenged earlier reports suggesting that one worker had died.
Reuters reported on October 25, citing three people familiar with the matter, that an Indian national had been found dead and four others remained missing.
However, Borr Drilling subsequently disputed that account, saying five personnel remained unaccounted for and that no fatalities had been confirmed.
The conflicting reports underscore the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the missing workers as rescue operations continue.
Gabon orders investigation
Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas has established a crisis management unit involving government officials, the Gabonese navy, state-owned oil company Gabon Oil, BW Energy and Borr Drilling.
Petroleum and Gas Minister Clotaire Kondja ordered an intensification of search and rescue operations and a technical investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The investigation is expected to examine the seabed conditions, rig stability and operational procedures that preceded the sinking.
A punch-through is a recognised hazard in jack-up drilling operations. It occurs when the seabed beneath a rig’s supporting leg suddenly gives way under pressure, potentially causing the structure to tilt or collapse.
Such incidents can occur during preloading, when operators deliberately apply weight to the rig’s legs to test whether the seabed can safely support the structure during drilling.
Production suspended at Dussafu
The sinking has also disrupted operations at the Dussafu offshore oil development, an important producing asset in Gabon’s petroleum sector.
BW Energy, which operates the Dussafu licence with a 73.5 per cent interest, confirmed that production at its MaBoMo facility had been shut down under standard procedures ahead of the planned drilling campaign.
The company said there were no reported damages to the production facility or associated equipment and no indications of an accidental discharge of harmful substances into the marine environment.
Panoro Energy, which holds a 17.5 per cent interest in the licence, separately confirmed the production suspension and the absence of reported environmental damage.
The incident introduces uncertainty over the timetable for BW Energy’s planned drilling activities, although the companies have not provided a revised schedule or quantified the potential financial impact.
Gabon remains an established oil producer in Central Africa, where offshore developments play a significant role in petroleum production and government revenues.
The accident comes more than two years after a fire at a separate offshore platform operated by Perenco in March 2024 killed five workers, highlighting the operational risks associated with offshore oil and gas activities.
For Borr Drilling, the immediate priority remains locating the missing personnel, while the investigation will seek to establish whether seabed conditions, equipment performance or operational factors contributed to the sinking.
Authorities have yet to release a definitive account of the accident or confirm the fate of the five missing workers.
The search and rescue operation remains ongoing.
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