Gabon Orders Probe as Prospector 5 Rig Death Toll Rises
Three people are now confirmed dead and two are still missing after Borr Drilling’s jack-up rig Prospector 5 sank on 24 October in the Dussafu Marin permit area off Mayumba, in southern Gabon. The site is in the Gulf of Guinea, on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, close to the border with the Republic of the Congo.
This is a follow-up to our earlier report on the sinking. Gabon’s Navy Chief of Staff, Charles Hubert Bekale-Meyong, said on national television on 28 October that three bodies had been recovered. Borr Drilling said they were found using an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and that recovery work is continuing. One of those who died is an Indian national. The missing are reported to include Gabonese workers and another expatriate.
There were 115 people on board when the rig went down. It was working for BW Energy and had not yet started drilling. According to Borr, a “punch-through” happened during preloading, when one leg broke through into softer seabed, causing the rig to lose stability and sink. About 280 cubic metres of marine diesel were reportedly on board.
Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas has set up a crisis unit, and Minister Clotaire Kondja has ordered a technical investigation into the rig’s stability, the seabed conditions and the sequence of events.
The accident is a reminder of the risks offshore crews face during rig moves and preloading. Proper seabed surveys and strict preload procedures remain essential for the safety of everyone on board.
