Land-based, oil drilling drive up US rig count to 1,771

The US drilling rig count rose by 33 units during the week ended Apr. 12 to reach a total of 1,771 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compares with 1,950 rigs working in the comparable week last year.

Nearly all of the gains were seen in land-based drilling activity, which increased 32 units from a week ago to 1,697 rigs working. Offshore drilling increased by 1 unit to 49 rigs working. Inland water drilling, at 25 rigs, was unchanged from a week ago. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 47 were in the Gulf of Mexico, an increase of 1 unit from a week ago.

Rigs targeting oil rose by 30 units to 1,387. Those rigs targeting gas increased by 2 to 377. There were 7 rigs considered unclassified, up 1 unit from a week ago.

Rigs drilling horizontally were reported at 1,102, up 18 units from a week ago and 31 fewer than the comparable week last year. Rigs drilling directionally rose 3 units to 206. This compared with 237 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.

Of the major oil and gas producing states, Texas made the biggest gains, up 23 units to 848. Oklahoma saw a 6-rig increase to 185. North Dakota and West Virginia, reaching respective counts of 178 and 24, were each up 4 units. Ohio gained 2 rigs to 32. Louisiana and Alaska, at 107 and 10, respectively, each climbed 1 unit. Three states were unchanged this week: Colorado, 59; California, 39; and Arkansas, 15. New Mexico, down 1 unit, reached 80; Wyoming, down 2 units, reached 42; and Pennsylvania, down 4 units, reached 59.

Canada’s rig count slumped again this week, down 50 units to 156. This count includes 83 rigs drilling for oil (down 34 units from a week ago) and 73 units drilling for gas (down 16 from a week ago). The total was down 8 units from 164 rigs working in the comparable week last year.