Rescuers continued their search off Gabon on 26 October following the Prospector 5 sinking near Mayumba two days earlier. The Borr Drilling jack-up rig went down on 24 October 2026 while being prepared for a drilling programme for BW Energy.

Borr Drilling’s incident update put the number confirmed safe at 110 out of 115 people aboard. Those rescued were being transferred to shore in Gabon for assistance. The contractor was keeping relatives of those still unaccounted for informed, while its response team coordinated with authorities and BW Energy. Both aircraft and vessels were involved in the search.

The contractor’s initial assessment suggested a punch-through had occurred as the rig was preloaded, followed by instability and sinking. This was a preliminary account, and Borr Drilling said it was supporting work by its partners and the authorities to establish what caused the accident.

Reuters reported that Gabon’s petroleum ministry had directed the navy to expand the rescue operation. It also set up a crisis unit. Its participants include ministry and naval representatives alongside Gabon Oil, BW Energy and Borr Drilling. A technical inquiry was also ordered by the ministry.

BW Energy said production at MaBoMo was shut down under procedures governing preparations for drilling. According to the operator, neither damage to MaBoMo and its equipment nor harmful marine discharges originating at the facility had been reported.

Prospector 5 was under contract for BW Energy’s offshore drilling work in Gabon. According to iMarine, the assignment started in early July, with the contract due to run until July 2027 and an option to extend it.

The same report identifies Prospector 5 as a 2014-built F&G JU-2000E unit, rated for a maximum water depth of 400 feet and a drilling depth of 35,000 feet.