Borr Drilling Rig Sinks Off Gabon, Five of 115 Crew Still Unaccounted For

A jackup drilling rig went down off the coast of Gabon on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the search for five missing workers was still running days later.

Borr Drilling's Prospector 5 lost stability and sank near Mayumba during jacking and preload operations. There were 115 people on board. Borr and its customer BW Energy say 110 have been accounted for.

What Borr says happened

Borr said the incident occurred at approximately 20:37 local time on Oct. 24. Gabon's Ministry of Petroleum and Gas gave a different time, saying the accident occurred at approximately 9:40 p.m. (2040 GMT) on Saturday. The sources do not reconcile the two timings. Borr's preliminary information points to a punch-through event: one of the rig's legs unexpectedly broke through the seabed during preload, causing a loss of stability and the sinking.

The Prospector 5 had not started drilling. It was being readied for a planned campaign supporting BW Energy at the Dussafu Marin permit, near the MaBoMo production facility. The rig is a 2014-built Friede & Goldman JU-2000E class unit designed to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet.

Punch-throughs are among the most serious hazards in jackup work. They occur without warning, and severe cases can result in one leg falling several feet into the mud, creating a significant and sudden list. The training institute Pisys says the biggest risks occur when a stiffer layer overlays softer sediments, or when the composition of the silt isn't uniform, giving the operator the impression that the bottom has more holding power than it really does.

That is Borr's preliminary account. Why it happened is a question for the investigation.

Dead or missing?

The casualty count is disputed. Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the matter, reported Sunday that one employee had been found dead, an Indian national, and that four others were missing: three Gabonese nationals and one other expatriate.

The government did not confirm that. It said five people remain missing and that search efforts were ongoing.

Borr's statement on Monday, Oct. 26, went further. The company said the Reuters account was incorrect, that five personnel remain unaccounted for, and that no fatalities have been confirmed. "Extensive marine and air search and rescue operations remain ongoing," Borr said.

So the confirmed position from the company and the government is five missing. The death comes only from anonymous sources.

Response on the water and in Libreville

Gabon's Ministry of Petroleum and Gas activated a crisis unit that brings together the ministry, the navy, state oil company Gabon Oil, BW Energy and Borr. Petroleum and Gas Minister Clotaire Kondja ordered the navy to reinforce search and rescue at sea and ordered a technical investigation.

Borr CEO Bruno Morand said: "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." Borr has set up a family hotline at +44 (0)1224 087026.

BW Energy said its overriding priority is the safety of personnel and that it is supporting the search in coordination with Borr, the authorities and emergency responders.

Production and environment

BW Energy holds a 73.5% working interest in the Dussafu Marin licence. Panoro Energy holds 17.5%.

Production at MaBoMo is shut down. BW Energy says that is standard procedure during drilling preparations, and that no damage to the facility or its equipment has been reported. Panoro also said there were no reports of damage or accidental discharges.

The ministry said no discharge of harmful substances has been observed. It said pollution-response resources remain deployed to protect the coastline and nearby Mayumba National Park.

What comes next

The immediate question is the fate of the five missing workers. After that comes the cause: Borr's punch-through explanation is preliminary, and Gabon's technical investigation has been ordered but its findings have not been announced. The death reported by Reuters' sources remains unconfirmed by Borr and the Gabonese government.