Prospector 5 Jack-Up Sinks Offshore Gabon, 110 Safe and Five Missing
Borr Drilling's Prospector 5 jack-up sank while preparing for drilling on the Dussafu Marin licence offshore Gabon. As of 26 October, 110 people were safe and five remained missing.
Borr Drilling’s jack-up rig Prospector 5 sank off Mayumba in southern Gabon on the evening of 24 October while being positioned for a new drilling campaign on the Dussafu Marin licence. In Borr Drilling’s latest update on 26 October, the company said 110 of the 115 people on board had been confirmed safe, while five remained unaccounted for and search operations were continuing.
According to Borr Drilling’s preliminary information, the rig experienced a punch-through during preloading, lost stability and subsequently sank. After a jack-up reaches its working location, its legs are lowered to the seabed and additional load is applied to test the soil’s bearing capacity. A sudden reduction in support beneath a spudcan can cause rapid leg penetration and lead the hull to list. This remains an initial assessment, and the precise cause of the incident is still subject to investigation.
The Gabonese government established a crisis response unit, with the navy coordinating the search at sea. Three helicopters were deployed, coastal areas were searched and remotely operated vehicles were due to inspect the sunken rig and surrounding waters. The Republic of the Congo also sent naval support. Those rescued were transferred to Port-Gentil for medical and psychological assessment.
The incident occurred near BW Energy’s MaBoMo production facility, which had been shut down as part of the drilling preparation procedure. BW Energy said no damage had been identified at the production facility or its associated equipment, and no harmful discharge from the facility had been reported.
Gabonese authorities said no oil pollution had been detected, although Prospector 5 was carrying about 280 cubic metres of diesel. Environmental monitoring and spill-response resources therefore remained deployed. Administrative and judicial investigations have been opened to establish the sequence of events, the cause and any related responsibility.
Built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and delivered to Prospector Offshore Drilling in 2014, Prospector 5 is a Friede & Goldman JU-2000E-design jack-up rated for water depths of up to 400 feet, or about 122 metres. Borr Drilling added the rig to its fleet through its acquisition of Paragon Offshore in March 2018. The company owns and operates the unit, which had been contracted by BW Energy for drilling on the Dussafu Marin licence.