Borr Drilling says Prospector 5 rig sinks off Gabon; five of 115 aboard missing

As of 6:10 a.m. ET, Oct. 25, 2026

Borr Drilling Limited said Sunday its Prospector 5 drilling rig sank offshore Gabon after an incident at about 20:37 local time on Saturday, and that five of the 115 people on board remain unaccounted for.

In a statement posted on Cision, the Bermuda-based offshore drilling contractor said the jack-up was conducting jacking operations in preparation for a planned drilling campaign when it lost stability and sank. "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," Borr Drilling said.

The company said the Prospector 5 is owned and operated by Borr Drilling and is contracted to support BW Energy's drilling operations offshore Gabon. It said 110 people have been safely accounted for and that extensive search-and-rescue operations are ongoing. Borr Drilling said it is working with local authorities and BW Energy.

"We are deeply concerned for those who remain unaccounted for and everyone affected by this incident," Chief Executive Bruno Morand said in the statement. "Our immediate priority is supporting the ongoing search and rescue efforts and the welfare of all personnel involved."

Reuters, in a report by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru, carried the same figures from the company statement: five of 115 unaccounted for after the rig sank during jacking operations off Gabon.

What is not known

Borr Drilling did not name the five people who remain unaccounted for or say where the search is focused. The company's description of a punch-through is preliminary. Neither Borr Drilling nor Reuters reported confirmed deaths. There was no immediate comment from Gabonese authorities in the material reviewed for this report.