LIBREVILLE / OSLO — The jack-up drilling rig Prospector 5 sank offshore Gabon at 20:37 local time on Saturday, 24 October, during jacking operations in preparation for a planned drilling campaign, BW Energy and Borr Drilling said in separate regulatory statements on Sunday.

Source: BW Energy (official statement)

There were 115 people on board the rig at the time of the incident. A total of 110 have been safely accounted for, while five remain missing, both companies said. Search and rescue operations are continuing in coordination with the drilling contractor, the relevant authorities and emergency responders.

Source: Borr Drilling via Cision (official statement)

Borr Drilling, which owns and operates the Prospector 5, said preliminary information indicates the rig experienced a 'punch through' event during preload activities, resulting in a loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig. The rig was contracted to support BW Energy's drilling operations on the Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon.

Source: Borr Drilling via Cision (official statement)

115people on board the Prospector 5 when it sank, both companies said
110people safely accounted for
5people still missing, with search and rescue ongoing
20:37 local, Sat 24 Octtime of the incident during jacking operations, BW Energy said

Reuters, reporting Borr Drilling's Sunday statement, gave the same account: the rig sank during jacking operations off the coast of Gabon as it was preparing for a drilling campaign, with five of the 115 people on board unaccounted for.

Source: Reuters

Offshore Energy, the offshore industry publication, reported that the 2014-built Prospector 5 is a Friede & Goldman JU-2000E class self-elevating jack-up designed to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet, and that Borr Drilling's onshore emergency response team is working with local authorities and BW Energy to search for the missing personnel.

Source: Offshore Energy

Borr Drilling chief executive 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.' The company gave a contact number for family members seeking information or assistance.

Source: Borr Drilling via Cision (official statement)

BW Energy said production at its MaBoMo facility has been shut down in accordance with standard procedure during ongoing drilling preparations, and that there has been no reported damage to the facility or related equipment, nor any accidental discharge of harmful substances to the sea from the facility. The cause of the stability failure beyond the reported punch-through event has not yet been established, and neither company named the missing personnel.