Footage captures moment huge oil rig sinks into the ocean with 115 on board

An offshore rig vanished beneath the Atlantic, leaving one person dead and four still missing. With 115 people reportedly aboard, footage of the sinking off Gabon has emerged as rescuers continue searching by sea and air. Now, the operator’s preliminary findings point to a sudden loss of stability, while rescuers face the urgent task of finding those still miss… Continues…

The Prospector 5 sank near Mayumba, Gabon, on Saturday, October 24, during preparations for a planned drilling campaign. Operator Borr Drilling said the incident occurred at 8:37 p.m. while crews were carrying out jacking operations. In its Monday update, the company confirmed that 110 of the 115 people aboard were safe and accounted for and had been brought ashore for care and support. One death was confirmed, and four people remained unaccounted for.

Initial findings suggest a “punch-through” event during preload activities caused the platform to lose stability and sink, though an investigation is still needed. Borr said extensive marine and air rescue operations remained underway, with locating missing personnel its overriding priority. Chief executive Bruno Morand expressed deep concern for everyone affected. Separately, Panoro Energy reported no damage or harmful discharge from its nearby MaBoMo facility, where production was shut down under standard drilling-preparation procedures.