By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Dec. 30 -- The US rotary rig count continued up one week and down the next, falling by 20 units this week with 1,694 still working, wiping out the 5-rig gain during Christmas week. There were 1,189 rigs drilling in the comparable period of 2009, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land operations accounted for most of the loss, down 19 rigs with 1,656 still making hole. Offshore drilling declined by 1 rig to 24 turning to the right, all in the Gulf of Mexico. Inland waters activity was unchanged with 14 rigs drilling.
Of the US rigs working, 919 were drilling for natural gas, 12 fewer than the previous week. The number drilling for oil was down 6 to 765. The number of unclassified rotary rigs dropped to 10 from 12 previously. Horizontal drilling lost 12 units to 947. Directional drilling increased 3 to 212.
Texas accounted for the bulk of the loss, down 15 to 731 rotary rigs drilling this week. Colorado’s rig count fell by 4 to 60. Alaska dropped 1 unit with 6 still working. Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, and West Virginia were unchanged with respective counts of 103, 38, 37, and 21. North Dakota and New Mexico each added 1 rig with respective totals of 150 and 69. Oklahoma increased by 2 to 160. Louisiana and Wyoming were up 3 each to 176 and 45, respectively.
Canada’s rotary rig count fell by 65 to 246 drilling, compared with 209 working in the same period last year.