MEO, which farmed-in to this and two other NWS permits in late October, said yesterday the M/V Orient Explorer seismic acquisition vessel owned by PGS Australia had arrived in the permit, where it was deploying the 3D cables and array.

The vessel is expected to take three weeks to acquire 250 square kilometres of 3D data and WA-360-P and WA-361-P.

Once this survey is finished, the M/V Orient Explorer will move to the third permit, WA-350-P, where it will acquire 250km of 2D data.

MEO said the joint venture had also contracted Dayboro Geophysical to reprocess the Rosie 3D survey, acquired by Western Mining in 1997.

Part of this survey covers the large Zeus feature, believed by MEO to be a stratigraphic trap similar to the nearby Perseus Gasfield.

Having already secured the field tapes, Dayboro will shortly start reprocessing primarily to recover the offset gathers so that AVO analysis and mapping can be undertaken.

This mapping is expected to bring the Zeus prospect into drill-ready status.

MEO is earning operatorship and a 60% stake in each of the three blocks, by agreeing to fund the seismic and drilling costs.

Post farm-in, Cue’s stake will be reduced to 20%, while the other partners in the blocks are Exoil and Gascorp.