Of the 115 personnel on board at the time of the incident, 110 returned ashore and now officials accounted for four bodies of the missing crew members. One body ended up recovered right away and three others days after the incident. Recovery efforts remain underway and extensive search and rescue efforts continue for the one worker that remains missing. Workers are transporting all four victims to Port Gentil, Gabon.
The Prospector 5 oil and gas rig, owned and operated by Borr, was under contract to support BW Energy’s drilling operations off Gabon. The rig had not yet begun drilling.
Fuel Remains Onboard
Additionally, at the time of the incident, there was approximately 280 cubic meters of marine diesel fuel onboard the Prospector 5, said Bruno Morand, chief executive of Borr Drilling. “In coordination with our customer and the local authorities, resources have been mobilized and measures are being taken to mitigate and minimize any environmental impact related to this incident,” he said.
BW Energy confirmed the rig was undertaking jacking operations in preparation for a planned drilling campaign when the incident occurred.
Prospector 5 is at the Dussafu Marin permit, a license off the Gabon coast. BW Energy holds a 73.5 percent working interest in the license, with Panoro Energy holding 17.5 percent.
Prospector 5 jack-up rig in the process of sinking off the coast of Mayumba, Gabon, Africa.
Source: Screenshot/Youtube
Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas said it had activated a crisis unit. It also ordered the navy to reinforce search and rescue operations at sea. The ministry also ordered a technical investigation, Petroleum and Gas Minister Clotaire Kondja said in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic development, and our thoughts are with our colleagues, their families, and loved ones,” Morand said in a statement this week. “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.
“It is also critically important to establish a thorough and objective understanding of what occurred and all possible causes of a catastrophic loss of stability are in scope and will be considered. The investigation will fully consider all evidence and assess every potential cause before reaching a final determination.”
Rig Details
Built in 2014, the Prospector 5 is an F&G JU-2000E type jack-up drilling rig with a maximum operating water depth of 400 feet and a maximum drilling depth of 35,000 feet.
A jack-up drilling rig is a mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) that features a buoyant hull and three to four independent movable legs. It floats like a ship while tugs tow or move it to a site. It then lowers its legs to the seafloor and lifts its entire working platform above the water’s surface to stay clear of waves and tides.