Borr Drilling has issued a tragic update following the sinking of the Prospector 5 jack-up drilling rig off the coast of Gabon.

During underwater search operations, a remotely operated vehicle — ROV — located the bodies of three people who had been missing since the accident.

Recovery operations are continuing.

A further two people remain missing, and search efforts are still underway.

Prospector 5 sank on the evening of October 24, 2026, on the Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon.

There were 115 people on board at the time of the incident.

Following the casualty, 110 people were safely brought ashore, while five were initially listed as missing.

With the discovery of three bodies, search teams are now continuing efforts to locate the remaining two people.

According to Gabonese naval authorities, the bodies were found during an underwater inspection of the wreck using an ROV.

The identities of the deceased had not been publicly released at the time of publication.

Borr Drilling said it continues to coordinate search, rescue and recovery operations with the Gabonese authorities, BW Energy and other response teams.

Borr Drilling CEO Bruno Morand said the company is focused on supporting the families of those who died or remain missing while continuing the search effort.

Prospector 5 sank while preparing for a drilling campaign for BW Energy.

Preliminary information indicated that the rig lost stability during jacking and preload operations.

Borr Drilling initially reported that a possible punch-through event may have occurred, in which one of the rig’s legs suddenly penetrated deeper into the seabed.

The final cause of the accident has not yet been established and remains subject to investigation.

At the time of the sinking, Prospector 5 had approximately 280 cubic metres of marine diesel fuel on board.

Borr Drilling said resources had been mobilised together with BW Energy and local authorities to minimise any potential environmental impact from the casualty.

The nearby MaBoMo facility, where the rig was preparing for the Phase 2 drilling campaign, was not damaged.

BW Energy also confirmed that production at MaBoMo has resumed following the temporary shutdown introduced as a safety measure after the accident.

However, the loss of Prospector 5 will affect the schedule for the remaining drilling programme.

The company is reviewing the timing of the remaining Dussafu wells and assessing the impact of the incident on its 2027 production plans.

The priority remains the search for the two people who are still missing. Of the 115 people on board Prospector 5, 110 were rescued, three bodies have now been found and two remain unaccounted for.