Oil Rig Collapses and Sinks Off Gabon Coast; One Dead, Four Missing

One person has died, and four more are missing after Borr Drilling's Prospector 5 oil rig collapsed and sank off the coast of Gabon late Saturday. The rig was preparing to start offshore drilling when it experienced a severe structural failure.

Preliminary information from Borr Drilling indicates the rig suffered a "punch-through event during preload activities, resulting in loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig." The incident occurred at approximately 9:40 p.m. local time in the Dussafu Marin permit area, near the Mabomont production facility.

Of the 115 people on board, an Indian national was found dead. The four missing individuals include three Gabonese nationals and one Croatian. Footage captured from a nearby vessel shows the rig tipping at an angle before submerging, with rig staff in life jackets seen running across the deck as lifeboats departed.

Gabon's Ministry of Petroleum and Gas has activated a crisis unit and dispatched the navy to bolster search and rescue operations with helicopters and underwater equipment. Petroleum and Gas Minister Clotaire Kondja stated that the navy is assisting and that a technical investigation has been ordered.

Kondja assured that no harmful substances had been detected and that the area is under surveillance, with pollution-response resources deployed to protect the coastline and Mayumba National Park. The crisis unit comprises the ministry, the navy, state oil company Gabon Oil, BW Energy, and Borr Drilling.

Borr Drilling Chief Executive Bruno Morand expressed deep concern for those unaccounted for and affected by the incident, stating that the company's immediate priority is supporting the search and rescue efforts and the welfare of all personnel involved.