Travellers to Gabon: Mayumba coastline under pollution watch after offshore rig sank

One person has been found dead and four others are missing after an oil and gas rig sank off the coast of Gabon near the coastal town of Mayumba. The Prospector 5 platform, owned and operated by Bermuda-headquartered contractor Borr Drilling, collapsed in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.

Key facts

• The incident happened at 8.37pm local time on Saturday near Mayumba, Gabon
• The rig had 115 people on board
• One Indian national was found dead; three Gabonese nationals and one other person remain unaccounted for
• Gabon's ministry of petroleum and gas activated a crisis unit and ordered the navy to reinforce search and rescue operations
• A pollution response team was deployed to protect the coastline and nearby Mayumba National Park

What happened?

Borr Drilling said the jack-up rig "experienced a punch-through event" while it was in the process of "jacking" in preparation for its latest drilling operations. A jack-up rig is a mobile platform used to drill in relatively shallow waters, named for its ability to elevate above sea level on three or four legs.

A punch-through event occurs when one of the rig's legs suddenly pushes through the seabed soil further than intended while the platform is being raised. Borr said preliminary information indicates the event happened during preload activities, resulting in loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig.

Who is affected?

An Indian national has been found dead, while three Gabonese nationals and one other person remain unaccounted for. Borr chief executive Bruno Morand said the company's immediate priority is supporting the ongoing search and rescue efforts and the welfare of all personnel involved.

What is being done off the coast?

Gabon's ministry of petroleum and gas said it had activated a crisis unit and ordered the navy to reinforce search and rescue operations at sea. It added that a pollution response team had been deployed to protect the coastline and nearby Mayumba National Park.

Norway's Panoro Energy, which owns a 17.5pc stake in the drilling licence at Prospector 5, said production had been halted and that there were no reports of damage or accidental discharges into the sea. BW Energy, listed on the Oslo stock exchange, holds a 73.5pc working interest in the drilling licence off the Gabon coast.

What this means for travellers

Search and rescue operations are ongoing at sea near Mayumba, and a pollution response team has been deployed to protect the coastline and Mayumba National Park. Travellers planning to visit the Mayumba area should note that operations are continuing offshore.

Shares in Borr, Panoro and BW all fell on Monday, with Borr shares down by as much as 9pc in pre-market trading in New York.