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”.
“At the time of the incident, there were 115 personnel onboard the rig,” Borr Drilling revealed.
“A total of 110 individuals have been safely accounted for. Five individuals remain unaccounted for, with extensive search and rescue operations ongoing,” it added.
“Borr Drilling’s immediate and overriding priority is the safety and wellbeing of all personnel affected by this incident,” it continued.
In this statement, Borr Drilling CEO Bruno Morand said, “we are deeply concerned for those who remain unaccounted for and everyone affected by this incident”.
“Our immediate priority is supporting the ongoing search and rescue efforts and the welfare of all personnel involved,” he added.
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.
“At the time of the incident there were 115 people onboard the Prospector 5. A total of 110 have been safely accounted for while five remain missing,” it added.
“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 continued.
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.
In a follow up statement posted on Borr Drilling’s website on Monday, Borr Drilling said search and rescue operations were ongoing for the five individuals who remained unaccounted for.
“The company is in contact with the families of the missing personnel,” Borr Drilling said.
“The 110 personnel accounted for are being brought ashore in Gabon, where care and support is being provided,” it added.
“Borr Drilling’s onshore emergency response team continues to work with local authorities and our customer, to respond to the incident, support those affected and to continue to search for missing personnel,” it continued.
Borr Drilling highlighted in its statement that “extensive marine and air search and rescue operations remain ongoing”.
“The company is working with its partners and authorities to ensure a robust investigation is carried out into the cause of the incident,” it said.
“However, the immediate and overriding priority remains the ongoing search and rescue efforts and doing everything possible to assist the authorities and specialists leading these operations to locate the missing individuals and support those safely accounted for,” it added.
According to a rig specification sheet hosted on Borr Drilling’s website, the Prospector 5 rig can accommodate 140 people. It is 231 feet long, 250 feet wide, and 31 feet deep, has a designed operating water depth of 400 feet, and a maximum drilling depth of 35,000 feet, the sheet shows.
A statement posted on Borr Drilling’s site on April 1 announced that the Prospector 5 had received a binding letter of award from BW Energy in Gabon. The commitment covered a firm scope of four wells, with a minimum duration of 320 days, and was expected to commence in the third quarter, following completion of the rig’s contract at the time and a scheduled special periodic survey, that statement highlighted, noting that the award included options that could have extended the work by an additional 220 days.
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