Borr Drilling rig Prospector 5 sinks off Gabon, five reported missing

What happened

Borr Drilling's jack-up rig Prospector 5 sank off Gabon on the evening of Saturday 24 October with 115 people on board, while preparing to drill for BW Energy. ^{[1, 3]}

Borr said preliminary information points to a punch-through during preload, which cost the rig its stability. Offshore magazine explained that one of the rig's legs unexpectedly broke through the seabed. Reuters reported that the rig had not yet begun drilling. ^{[1, 5, 7]}

Borr, BW Energy and Panoro Energy put the time at 20:37 local time. Gabon's Ministry of Petroleum and Gas put it at about 9:40 p.m., Reuters reported, about an hour later by the desk's arithmetic. ^{[1, 3, 4, 5]}

Why it matters

Borr announced on Wednesday 1 April that BW Energy had awarded Prospector 5 four wells over at least 320 days, with options for 220 more. BW Energy and Panoro said production at the MaBoMo facility is shut down under standard procedure during drilling preparations. Both said no damage to the facility and no discharge to the sea had been reported. ^{[8, 3, 4]}

The count, by source

Borr's first release, dated Sunday 25 October, said 110 people were accounted for and five were not. BW Energy and Panoro gave the same figures that Sunday morning, Panoro at 09:35 Central European Time. ^{[1, 3, 4]}

Reuters reported on Sunday that one of the five, an Indian national, had been found dead, and that three Gabonese nationals and one other expatriate remained missing. One version credits three sources familiar with the matter; another names Sylvain Mayabi Binet of the National Organization of Petroleum Employees. Reuters said the government had not confirmed the death and still described five people as missing. ^{[5, 6, 7]}

Borr's update at 04:07 Eastern Time on Monday 26 October said 110 people were safe and five remained unaccounted for, with marine and air searches going on. It did not mention a death. ^[2]

The response

Petroleum and Gas Minister Clotaire Kondja said the ministry had set up a crisis unit, ordered the navy to step up the search and ordered a technical investigation, Reuters reported. The ministry said no discharge of harmful substances had been seen. ^{[5, 6]}

Borr said it is working with its partners and the authorities on a robust investigation into the cause, while the search remains its priority. ^[2]

What settles it next

Offshore magazine wrote that the official casualty figures and the full cause remain subject to the investigation and to updates from the authorities and the companies. None of the three companies has said when MaBoMo production restarts or what happens to the drilling campaign. ^{[7, 1, 3, 4]}

Who it reaches

Borr Drilling (BORR) is direct: it owns and operates the rig and filed its release with the SEC on Monday 26 October. BW Energy operates the Dussafu Marin licence with a 73.5 percent interest and Panoro Energy holds 17.5 percent, Reuters reported; both are listed in Oslo. ^{[1, 5, 4, 6]}