Prospector 5 sinks off Gabon, leaving one dead and four missing
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
The Prospector 5 drilling rig sank off Mayumba in southern Gabon, leaving one person dead and four missing, according to Borr Drilling; Gabonese authorities put the number at five. The rig went down on 24 October with 115 people on board, 110 of whom were rescued, and search operations are continuing, La Nouvelle Tribune reports.
The sinking of the Prospector 5 drilling rig, operated by Borr Drilling off Mayumba in southern Gabon, left one person dead and four missing among the 115 people on board, La Nouvelle Tribune reports. The rig sank at about 8.37pm on Saturday 24 October 2026. One hundred and ten people were rescued.
Search operations were continuing on Monday 26 October. Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas activated a crisis unit and asked the navy to strengthen its operations. Borr Drilling said the rig had lost stability after a “punch-through” during preloading of its legs. The ministry said no release of harmful substances had been observed.
The number of people missing differs between the company and the authorities: Borr Drilling and BW Energy report four people missing, three Gabonese and one expatriate, while Gabonese authorities put the number at five. On 25 October, an initial report said five people were missing after the oil rig sank off Gabon. Gabon’s petroleum minister later said the seabed may have subsided during the incident, according to details published on 26 October about the circumstances of the sinking.
