Borr Drilling's Prospector 5 Rig Sinks Off Gabon
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The Prospector 5 drilling rig, operated by Borr Drilling, sank on Saturday night off the coast of Mayumba, Gabon, leaving one worker dead and four people missing out of a total of 115 crew members on board. According to the company, the unit suffered a punch-through event during preloading operations, which caused a loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig, which had not yet begun drilling.
The victims
The deceased is an Indian national, whose body was recovered after the accident, according to Sylvain Mayabi Binet, secretary general of the National Organization of Oil Employees. Among the remaining four missing are three Gabonese nationals and another expatriate. According to another source, Gabonese authorities had not officially confirmed the death and were still counting five people as missing, while it was initially reported that 110 of the 115 crew members were safe.
The project background
The Prospector 5 had been contracted to support BW Energy's drilling operations in the Dussafu Marin license, off the coast of Gabon, where the company holds a 73.5% stake, Panoro Energy holds 17.5%, and, according to one of the sources, Gabon Oil Company holds 9%. The unit was headed to the MaBoMo production facility to carry out a four-well infill drilling program in the Hibiscus and Hibiscus South fields, under a firm contract of at least 320 days with an option for a further 220 days. Panoro Energy confirmed that production had been shut in and that no damage or accidental discharges were recorded.
