By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 15 -- US drilling activity slumped this weekend, down 10 rotary rigs with 1,772 still working, compared with 1,421 during the comparable period a year ago, said Baker Hughes Inc.
Most of the loss was in land drilling, down 8 units to 1,727 drilling. Offshore activity dipped by 2 rigs to 26, all in the Gulf of Mexico. Inland waters were unchanged with 19 rigs active.
Of the US rigs working, the number drilling for natural gas decreased by 4 to 885. Those drilling for oil were down 6 to 880. There were 7 rigs unclassified. Directional drilling was down 13 rigs to 217. Horizontal drilling dropped 6 units to 1,003.
Texas had the biggest loss among major producing states, down 12 rotary rigs to 779 working. Pennsylvania was down 5 to 102. Louisiana lost 3 to 171. New Mexico was down 2 to 74. Arkansas and West Virginia lost 1 rig each to 35 and 14, respectively. Colorado, California, and Wyoming were unchanged with respective counts of 72, 41, and 40. North Dakota increased by 1 rig to 160. Alaska was up 2 to 6.
Canada’s rig count fell by 24 units to 167 drilling in its seasonal decline. That was up from 122 rotary rigs working in the same period last year.
Hess Corp.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
