Search and rescue teams are still hunting for five workers missing after a massive drilling rig capsized off the coast of Gabon with 115 people aboard.
Borr Drilling Limited, the owner and operator of the Prospector 5 rig, confirmed in a Monday statement that 110 employees have been brought safely to shore. The offshore contractor said those rescued are receiving “care and support” in Gabon while operations continue for the remaining five.
“Of the 115 personnel on board, 110 are safe and accounted for,” the company wrote. “Search and rescue operations are ongoing for the five individuals who remain unaccounted for.”
The 231-foot-long, 250-foot-wide jack-up rig sank Saturday night beneath dark skies, with frightening footage captured by onlookers showing the structure tilting and sliding beneath the waves. The vessel had been conducting preload activities when disaster struck.
Initial findings point to a catastrophic structural failure known in the industry as a punch-through. This occurs when one or more legs of a jack-up barge suddenly penetrate the seabed after having been supported, according to the Australian Geomechanics Society. The event caused immediate loss of stability and sent the rig plunging into the ocean.
Borr Drilling emphasized that its emergency response team is coordinating closely with local authorities and its customer. “Extensive marine and air search and rescue operations remain ongoing,” the company added.
The contractor also pledged a full investigation once the immediate crisis passes. “The company is working with its partners and authorities to ensure a robust investigation is carried out into the cause of the incident,” Borr Drilling stated. “However, the immediate and overriding priority remains the ongoing search and rescue efforts and doing everything possible to assist the authorities and specialists leading these operations to locate the missing individuals and support those safely accounted for.”
Panoro Energy, which operates the nearby MaBoMo production facility where the rig had been working, shut down operations following the sinking. The energy firm issued its own statement expressing solidarity with the search efforts and concern for the missing.
“The Company’s thoughts and prayers are with the five people who remain missing and with their families, friends and colleagues at this deeply distressing time,” Panoro Energy shared.
The company continued: “Panoro stands alongside the rig owner, the operator and the emergency responders in their efforts, and expresses its sincere gratitude and full solidarity with all those involved in the search and rescue operations.”
Panoro Energy noted that production halted under standard procedure during ongoing drilling preparations. It reported no damage to the MaBoMo facility itself, no equipment harm, and no accidental discharge of harmful substances into the sea.
Reports said that one of the missing individuals, described as an Indian national, has died, though this remains officially unconfirmed by authorities or Borr Drilling.
The Prospector 5 disaster unfolded rapidly Saturday evening as the rig experienced the punch-through event during preload operations, a phase where weight is deliberately added to test seabed stability before full drilling commencement. Instead of confirming a secure foundation, the procedure ended with the platform’s legs breaking through and the entire structure destabilizing.
Borr Drilling noted it has maintained contact with the families of the missing personnel throughout the crisis.
Marine and aerial search operations continue off the Gabonese coast.