By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Dec. 18 -- US drilling activity jumped by 32 rotary rigs to 1,193 units working this week, compared with 1,764 during the same period in 2008, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land drilling accounted for all of the gain, up 38 rigs to 1,146 in operation. Inland water activity lost 2 rigs, with 13 still working. Offshore drilling was down by 4 rigs to 33 in the Gulf of Mexico and a total of 34 on the US shelf.
Gas drilling increased by 16 rigs to 773. Drilling for oil also increased by 16 units, to 409. There were 11 rigs unclassified. Directional drilling gained 11 rigs to 202 working. Horizontal drilling increased 14 rigs to 572.
Texas’ rig count was up by 20 to 478 working. Colorado gained 6 to 44. North Dakota and New Mexico increased by 2 rigs each to respective counts of 62 and 50. Oklahoma, Wyoming, California, West Virginia, and Alaska were unchanged at 93, 41, 26, 22, and 9 respectively. Pennsylvania and Arkansas were down 1 rig each to respective totals of 62 and 37. Louisiana lost 4 to 177 working.
Canada’s weekly rig count increased by 14 to 368, compared with 369 rigs working a year ago.
