Drilling platform sinks off coast of Gabon
Five people are missing after the platform lost stability during preparatory work.
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A jack-up drilling platform sank off the coast of Gabon on Saturday. Of the 115 people on board, 110 have been safely accounted for; the search for five missing people is continuing.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening during work in preparation for a planned drilling campaign on the Dussafu Marine licence, off the coast of Gabon. The Prospector 5 platform lost stability and sank, its owner Borr Drilling and partner BW Energy reported.
According to both companies, 115 people were on board. By Monday, 110 people had been safely identified and brought ashore. The search-and-rescue operation for five missing people continued in cooperation with the local authorities and emergency services.
Borr Drilling said it was cooperating in an investigation into the cause. Based on preliminary information, Borr Drilling referred to a so-called punch-through while the platform's legs were being loaded. The company said this can cause one leg to sink unexpectedly deeper into the seabed, resulting in a loss of stability.
BW Energy said production at the nearby MaBoMo facility had been halted as a precaution. According to the company, no damage had been reported to the facility or its associated equipment. The company also said that no harmful substance had unintentionally entered the sea from the facility.
The platform was owned and operated by Borr Drilling. It had been hired to carry out work for BW Energy. Reuters reported that the loss of the platform could delay planned new oil production from the area. According to Reuters, the listed companies involved lost ground on the stock market on Monday.
The precise cause of the sinking and the consequences for the drilling campaign have not yet been established. It is also not yet clear what happened to the five missing people on board. The companies said they were giving priority first to the search operation and caring for those who had been rescued.
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The key facts have been confirmed by statements from Borr Drilling and BW Energy. The possible technical cause and economic consequences have been presented as preliminary or possible.
- confirmed The Prospector 5 platform sank off the coast of Gabon on 24 October 2026. — Confirmed by Borr Drilling and BW Energy. source
- confirmed There were 115 people on board and 110 were safely accounted for. — Mentioned in statements by both companies. source
- confirmed Five people are still missing. — Confirmed in an update from Borr Drilling. source
- confirmed The possible cause was a punch-through during preparatory work. — Mentioned by Borr Drilling as preliminary information. source
Editor's note
The sinking, the number of people on board and the search operation are established. The cause remains preliminary and the number of casualties has not been officially confirmed.Sources
- Prospector 5 Rig Incident Update — Borr Drilling
- Drilling rig incident on the Dussafu licence — BW Energy
- Aandelen Borr Drilling dalen nadat boorplatform voor de kust van Gabon is gezonken — Reuters via MarketScreener
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „gabon boorplatform”
- Trouw — „gabon boorplatform”
- NRC — „gabon boorplatform”