Rig sinks during preparations

Borr Drilling said on Sunday 25 October 2026 that its Prospector 5 drilling rig sank during jacking operations off the coast of Gabon as it was preparing for a drilling campaign, with five of the 115 people on board unaccounted for. The offshore drilling contractor issued the update as search and accounting efforts continued.

Preliminary information indicates that the rig experienced a punch-through event during preload activities, resulting in a loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig, the company said. Punch-through is a known risk in jack-up operations, when a rig leg breaks through a weaker layer beneath the seabed during loading.

What the rig was doing off Gabon

The Prospector 5 rig, owned and operated by Borr, is contracted to support BW Energy's drilling operations offshore Gabon. It was in the preparation phase for that campaign when the incident happened, rather than in active drilling at the time described by the company.

With 115 people on board, the incident involved a large offshore workforce, and the fact that five people were unaccounted for immediately raised concern for families and colleagues. The company has not, in the reporting available, given further detail on the condition of the other people on board or on the search operation.

Questions that remain

At this stage the account is limited to the company's preliminary information: the type of event, the phase of work, the location off Gabon, and the number of people unaccounted for. No cause beyond the preliminary punch-through description has been confirmed, and no further casualty or rescue figures were included in the initial report.