US rig activity has first decline in 6 weeks

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 11 -- The US rotary rig count fell for the first time in 6 weeks, down 18 units with 1,721 still working, said Baker Hughes Inc. That compares with 1,346 rigs drilling in the comparable week a year ago.

Land drilling accounted for most of the loss, down 17 rigs to 1,679 active. Offshore activity decreased by 1 rig to 26, wiping out last week’s gain. All of the offshore rigs now working are in the Gulf of Mexico. Inland waters activity was unchanged at 16.

Of the US rigs now working, the number drilling for natural gas declined by 5 to 906. Those drilling for oil were down 13 to 805. There were 10 rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling dipped by 1 rig to 980. Directional drilling decreased by 4 units to 225.

Oklahoma, blanketed with ice and snow earlier this week, reported the biggest decline, down by 6 rotary rigs to 159 drilling. Colorado declined by 4 to 60. Louisiana was down 2 units to 173. Five of the main producing states were down 1 rig each as follows: Pennsylvania with 108 rigs still working, New Mexico 79, Wyoming 46, Arkansas 35, and Alaska 6. California and West Virginia were unchanged with respectively 38 and 20 rigs still drilling. The Texas rig count increased by 1 unit to 751. North Dakota was up 2 to 150.

Canada’s rig count increased by 4 with 630 rotary rigs drilling. That’s up from 551 in the same period a year ago.