By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 15 -- US drilling activity finally registered a healthy increase for this month, up by 18 rotary rigs to 1,905 working vs. 1,571 a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land operations had the biggest increase, of course, up 14 rigs to 1,852 active. Inland waters gained 2 to 18. Offshore drilling also was up by 2 rigs to 35, all in the Gulf of Mexico.
Of the US rigs working, 1,013 were drilling for oil, 6 more than the previous week. The number drilling for natural gas increased by 12 to 885. There were 7 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling gained 13 to 1,086. Directional drilling increased by 9 units to 253.
Texas had the biggest increase among major producing states, up by 11 rigs to 861 drilling. Louisiana increased by 4 to 173. California and Alaska gained 2 units each to respective counts of 47 and 8. North Dakota, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Arkansas each gained 1 rig to 154, 82, 51, and 34, respectively. Pennsylvania and West Virginia were unchanged at 115 and 20. Oklahoma lost 1 rig to 175; Colorado was down 1 rig to 69.
Canada’s rotary rig count escalated by 63 to 394 units drilling. That compared with 365 active rigs in the same period last year.
Photo from Esso SAF.
Map from Petrobras.
