US rig count remains flat

May 20, 2011
US drilling activity was essentially unchanged from the previous week with the same total of 1,830 rotary rigs working, up from 1,518 units busy in the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 20
-- US drilling activity was essentially unchanged from the previous week with the same total of 1,830 rotary rigs working, up from 1,518 units busy in the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Actually, land operations increased by 1 rig to 1,781 drilling. Inland waters activity also increased by 1 rig to 18 units. Offshore drilling, however, decreased by 2 rigs to 31 working in US waters, all in the Gulf of Mexico where the rig count was down 1 to 31.

Of the US rigs working, the number drilling for oil continued climbing, up by 7 to 954. There were 886 rotary rigs drilling for natural gas, 8 fewer than the previous week. There were 10 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling dipped by 3 to 1,038. Directional drilling was down 1 to 225 rotary rigs.

Oklahoma’s weekly rig count fell by 8 to 172 this week, and Louisiana was down 4 with 169 rigs working. Alaska’s rig count declined by 1 to 5. New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming were unchanged with rig counts of 75, 72, and 42, respectively. North Dakota, Arkansas, and West Virginia gained 1 rig each for respective totals of 163, 33, and 19. Rig counts in Texas and Pennsylvania increased by 2 units each to 819 and 110. California had the biggest gain this week, up 4 to 45 working.

Canada’s rotary rig count increased by 16 to 143, compared with 173 drilling in the same period last year.