Three Bodies Found in Sunken Borr Drilling Rig Off Gabon, Two Still Missing
October 29, 2026
Three bodies have been located inside the wreck of Borr Drilling's Prospector 5 jack-up rig, which sank offshore Gabon on October 24, with search and rescue operations continuing for two people still missing, according to the Gabonese Navy.
The bodies were discovered during underwater inspections using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Vice-Admiral Charles Hubert Bekale-Meyong, chief of staff of the Gabonese Navy and commander of the search-and-rescue operation, confirmed in an October 28 statement.
The images obtained did not allow the bodies to be identified, while technical teams were preparing operations to recover them.
“Of the five people reported missing, three bodies were located on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, inside the still-submerged wreck,” said Vice-Admiral Charles Hubert Bekale-Meyong.
Of the 115 people on board when the rig sank, 110 were rescued. A judicial investigation into the incident was opened on October 25.
The Prospector 5, owned and operated by Borr Drilling, sank after experiencing a punch-through event during preload operations, causing it to lose stability while preparing for a drilling campaign on BW Energy's Dussafu Marine licence.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:37 pm local time on October 24 during jacking operations ahead of the MaBoMo Phase 2 drilling campaign.
Built in 2014, the Prospector 5 is an F&G JU-2000E jack-up drilling rig with a maximum operating water depth of 400 feet and a maximum drilling depth of 35,000 feet.
BW Energy Flags Drilling Delays, MaBoMo Production Resumes
BW Energy confirmed on October 29 that the incident would delay first oil from the MaBoMo Phase 2 campaign, with the company assessing its impact on the drilling schedule and 2027 production outlook.
The remaining Phase 2 wells will be considered within the wider Dussafu drilling program, while BW Energy maintains its target of producing more than 100,000 barrels of oil per day in 2028.
Production at the MaBoMo facility, which was shut down in accordance with standard procedures during drilling preparations, has resumed, with no damage to BW Energy's facilities identified.
"Production from MaBoMo has resumed, and the 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," said Carl Arnet, CEO of BW Energy.
The company continues to support the search and rescue operations in coordination with Gabonese authorities and Borr Drilling.
