Baker Hughes: US drilling rig count lifts to 1,861

The US drilling rig count gained 6 units to 1,861 rigs working during the week ended May 16, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Rigs drilling on land were up 9 units to 1,791, more than overtaking a 2-unit decline in offshore rigs to 57 and a 1-unit drop in rigs drilling in inland waters to 13.

Both oil rigs and gas rigs collected 3 more units, bringing their respective counts to 1,531 and 326. Rigs considered unclassified were unchanged from a week ago at 4.

Horizontal drilling rigs added 4 units to reach 1,248. The US Energy Information Administration reported this week that 50% of the total increase in horizontal, oil-directed rigs in the US from the week ending Dec. 27, 2013, to the week ending May 9, 2014, came in the Permian basin, whose horizontal rig count gained 63 units during that period.

Directional drilling rigs, meanwhile, edged down a unit to 207 during the last week.

In Canada, an 8-unit jump in its rig count to 153 was entirely comprised of oil rigs, which now total 62. Gas rigs, unchanged from a week ago, remain at 91. Canada now has 30 more rigs than this week a year ago.

Major states, basins

California led all of the major oil- and gas-producing states with an 8-unit rise to 48. Ohio claimed 4 more units to reach 39. Oklahoma was up 3 units to 195. Pennsylvania gained 2 units to 60. Kansas increased a unit to 34.

Unchanged from a week ago were North Dakota at 174, Wyoming at 45, Utah at 27, and Arkansas at 12.

Louisiana decreased a unit to 113. New Mexico, West Virginia, and Alaska were down 2 units each to 89, 25, and 8, respectively. Texas, with a 4-unit drop, gave up the most units.

Notable changes this week in the major US basins included a 5-unit jump in the Utica and a 2-unit loss in the Granite Wash. The aforementioned Permian edged up a unit to 546, by far the most of any of the basins.