In a statement posted on its website on Thursday, Borr Drilling Limited, which announced the sinking of the Prospector 5 rig on Sunday, revealed that three bodies had been found following the incident.
“Of the 115 personnel on board at the time of the incident, 110 have returned ashore,” the company said in the statement.
“Those personnel remain in Gabon and are being provided with accommodation, care, and ongoing support, with their wellbeing remaining a priority for the company,” it added.
“As part of the ongoing search and rescue operations, the company has been notified that an underwater remotely operated vehicle has located the bodies of three individuals,” it continued.
“Recovery efforts are underway and extensive search and rescue efforts continue for the two individuals who remain unaccounted for,” it went on to state.
Borr Drilling revealed in its statement that, at the time of the Prospector 5 rig incident, there were approximately 280 cubic meters of marine diesel fuel onboard the asset. It noted that, in coordination with its customer, BW Energy, and the local authorities, “resources have been mobilized and measures are being taken to mitigate and minimize any environmental impact related to this incident”.
Bruno Morand, CEO of Borr Drilling, said in the statement, “we are deeply saddened by this tragic development, and our thoughts are with our colleagues, their families, and loved ones”.
“We recognize the extraordinary uncertainty and pain they are facing. Our immediate priority remains supporting the families and the ongoing search, rescue and recovery efforts,” he added.
In BW Energy’s latest results statement, which was posted on its website on Thursday, the company’s CEO, Carl K. Arnet, said, “our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Prospector 5 rig incident, the crew and their families, friends and colleagues, and in particular those still missing and their loved ones”.
“At BW Energy, the safety of people will always come first, and we are supporting the ongoing search and rescue operations in close collaboration with the Gabonese authorities and Borr Drilling, with valuable help from our neighboring operators,” he added.
Arnet revealed in the results statement that production from MaBoMo had resumed, and said two discoveries made earlier in the campaign “add to the resources we plan to develop in Phase 2”.
“The incident affects the timing of those barrels rather than the resources themselves,” he noted.
“We will incorporate the remaining wells into the wider Dussafu drilling program and update the market on timing once the plan is in place,” he added.
Arnet went on to reveal in the statement that the company was maintaining its production target of over 100,000 barrels per day in 2028 “supported by good progress on the remaining sanctioned high-return development projects in Brazil and Gabon, as well as our expansion into Angola”.
Borr Drilling Limited announced, in a statement posted on its website on Sunday, that an incident occurred on October 24 involving the Prospector 5 drilling rig.
The incident happened at around 8:37 PM local time while conducting jacking operations offshore Gabon in preparation for a planned drilling campaign, the statement revealed, adding that “preliminary information indicates that the rig experienced a punch through event during preload activities, resulting in loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig”.
Prospector 5 is owned and operated by Borr Drilling and is contracted to support BW Energy’s drilling operations offshore Gabon, Borr Drilling highlighted in its statement. Borr Drilling said its onshore emergency response team had been activated and revealed that the company was working with local authorities and BW Energy to “respond to the incident, support those affected, and search for missing personnel”.
In a statement posted on its website on October 25, BW Energy confirmed that an incident occurred on the Dussafu Marine license in Gabon, at 8:37 PM local time on Saturday, involving the jack-up drilling rig Prospector 5.
“During jacking operations in preparation for a planned drilling campaign, the rig experienced a loss of stability and subsequently sank,” BW Energy said in its statement.
“BW Energy’s overriding priority is the safety of all personnel. The company is supporting the ongoing search and rescue operations in close coordination with the drilling contractor Borr Drilling, relevant authorities and emergency responders,” it added.
BW Energy revealed in its statement that production at the MaBoMo facility was shut down “in accordance with standard procedure during ongoing drilling preparations”.
“There has been no reported damage to the facility or related equipment, nor any accidental discharge of harmful substances to the sea from the facility,” it pointed out.
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