Prospector 5 rescue efforts continued off Gabon as Borr Drilling said locating missing personnel remained its first priority. The contractor was also supporting work to determine why the jack-up sank.
In its 26 October 2026 update, the company said aircraft and vessels were continuing the search. Its shore-based emergency team was coordinating the response alongside BW Energy and local officials, while the contractor maintained contact with missing workers’ families.
The update confirmed that 110 of the 115 people aboard had been accounted for safely and were being transferred to shore in Gabon for assistance.
Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema visited survivors and affected families in Port-Gentil on 26 October, Gabonreview reported, citing presidential communications. He also visited six injured survivors in hospital, some of whom had fractures and trauma. Psychological support was planned for survivors and the injured.
Borr Drilling said it was working to ensure a thorough inquiry into the accident. Separately, AFP reported that Petroleum Minister Clotaire Kondja had ordered a technical investigation to establish the circumstances and any responsibility.
The 2014-built rig went down on 24 October while preparing for a drilling programme for BW Energy in the Dussafu licence area. Borr Drilling said the Prospector 5 sinking followed an incident at approximately 20:37 local time.
Its preliminary account pointed to a punch-through during preloading, followed by instability and sinking. This remained an initial assessment rather than a final investigation finding.
BW Energy said on 25 October that MaBoMo production was stopped under procedures for preparing to drill. It reported neither damage to MaBoMo and its equipment nor any harmful release into the sea originating from that facility.
