Search continues off Gabon
Five people remain missing after the Prospector 5 drilling platform sank off Mayumba, Gabonactu reported. Of the 115 people aboard, 110 were rescued. The missing are three Gabonese nationals, one Croatian and one Indian.
The platform sank on the night of Saturday 24 October in the Dussafu Marin oil permit area. Gabonactu said three helicopters were searching the zone and remotely operated underwater vehicles were expected to examine the wreck. Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema asked Congo-Brazzaville for help extending the search across the maritime border.
The platform’s owner attributed the accident to a failure during a lifting operation that led to a loss of stability and the unit’s rapid submersion, according to Gabonactu. Administrative and judicial investigations are under way. No oil pollution had been detected, although monitoring was continuing because the platform carried 280 cubic metres of diesel.
Warnings in Middle Eastern waters
Separately, two maritime-security warnings issued Monday described incidents affecting commercial vessels in the Middle East, gCaptain reported. One tanker was disabled by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, while another vessel was reported on fire in the Persian Gulf. No further details about the ships or their crews were provided in the report summary.