US drilling rig count falls 6 units to 1,811

The US drilling rig count lost 6 units during the week ended Nov. 30, with the total number of rotary rigs reaching 1,811, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. This compares with 1,993 rigs working in the comparable week last year.

Land-based drilling rigs fell 4 units to 1,741, while offshore rigs dropped 3 to 50 units working. Rigs drilling in inland waters were up 1 unit to 20. Of those rigs drilling offshore, 48 were in the Gulf of Mexico, 2 fewer than last week.

Rigs targeting natural gas dropped 4 units this week, reaching 424. Rigs targeting oil fell by 2 units to 1,386. There was 1 rig unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.

Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 193, down 1 rig from a week ago and 24 fewer than the comparable week last year. The number of rigs drilling horizontally was down by 4 rigs, reaching 1,110. This compares with 1,156 in the comparable week a year ago.

Of the major oil and gas producing states, three states—North Dakota, New Mexico, and Wyoming—lost 2 rigs to reach counts of 176, 75, and 49, respectively. Three states dropped 1 rig from a week ago, namely Louisiana, 118; Colorado, 56; and West Virginia, 26. There were six states unchanged from last week: Oklahoma, 188; Pennsylvania, 70; California, 31; Ohio, 26; Arkansas, 16; and Alaska, 8. Texas, meanwhile, gained 2 rigs to reach 855 this week.

Canada’s rig count was 399, up 12 units from a week ago. This count includes 287 rigs drilling for oil and 112 units drilling for gas. The total was down 85 units from the comparable week last year.