The Singapore-built rig has now been floated off the transport vessel. Its operator, Australian Drilling Associates, has organised a program of up to 10 exploration and appraisal wells in the Bass Strait region for a variety of companies.

West Triton will complete three wells for Apache in shallow water in the southern Gippsland Basin before being released to other operators.

The first of these three will target the Wasabi prospect in 35m of water in Apache's 100%-owned Vic/P58, a large permit adjacent to the Gippsland coast on the basin's southwestern edge.

The well is targeting structural closures in the Top Latrobe formation and at the Golden Beach level.

The second well in the program will be at the Coelacanth prospect targeting the Top Latrobe horizons in Vic/P45 where Apache is earning a 67% interest in the permit from Moby Oil & Gas and Exoil by funding two wells.

Apache's third well will be a farm-in well in Vic/P42, between the Vic-P58 and Vic-P45 permits, where Apache is acquiring its stake from Bass Strait Oil Company. Following the farm-in, Apache will have 60% in the block, while Bass Strait Oil and the remaining partner Inpex will have 20% each.

The company next in line after Apache is 3D Oil, which will be drilling its West Seahorse-3 appraisal well and the Wardie-1 exploration well in VIC/P57 in northwest offshore Gippsland.

The Wardie structure is prospective for oil, which could ultimately be produced via the facilities to be established by 3D Oil on the West Seahorse field.

Latest mapping indicates that Wardie may in fact be larger than West Seahorse, which is interpreted to contain between 5.8 million and 10.3 barrels.

3D Oil has commissioned Worley Parsons to conduct a pre-front-end engineering and design study of the feasibility and costs associated with development options for the proposed West Seahorse development.

“Under the development scenario envisaged, West Seahorse will be developed as a stand alone option using an unmanned well-head platform with the oil piped to a small onshore stabilisation plant in Gippsland,” 3D said.

“Both wells will be drilled from the one location reducing rig down time and providing cost-effective commercialisation of the Wardie prospect in the event of a discovery.”

3D Oil operates and hold 100% equity holder in VIC/P57.