By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 6 -- US drilling activity continued increasing, up by another 18 rotary rigs—the same gain as the previous week—to 1,836 units working, compared with 1,492 rigs making hole in the comparable week a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land operations accounted for the gain with an increase of 18 rigs to 1,787 drilling this week. Offshore drilling increased by 1 rig to 29 in the Gulf of Mexico and a total of 30 units in US coastal waters. That was offset by a decline of 1 rig to 19 drilling in inland waters.
Of the US rigs working, 890 were drilling for natural gas, 8 more than the previous week. The number drilling for oil also increased by 8 rigs, to 934 in a market where oil prices are stronger than gas prices. There were 12 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling jumped by 15 units to 1,038 rigs working. Directional drilling increased by 6 units to 225.
Among the major producing states, Texas had the biggest increase in its rig count this week, up 12 to 816. Louisiana gained 4 for a total 174. West Virginia was up by 2 rigs to 17. Pennsylvania and New Mexico added 1 rig each for respective totals of 110 and 73. Unchanged were Colorado, 72; Wyoming, 42; California, 41; Arkansas, 34; and Alaska, 5. Oklahoma and North Dakota were down 1 rig each to 182 and 161, respectively.
Canada’s rotary rig count fell by 10 to 123, compared with 103 rigs working in the same period last year.
Photo from Esso SAF.
Map from Petrobras.
