US oil and gas drilling rig activity last week fell again this week, down 6 units to reach a total of 1,987 rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 9 was up by 264 units from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
As a change from most weeks, land drilling operations were unchanged from a week ago, holding at 1,931 units drilling. Inland waters activity fell by 5 rigs to reach 15 rigs working. Offshore drilling lost 1 unit to 41 active.
Of the US rigs working, 1,161 were drilling for oil, shooting up 29 rigs compared with a week ago. Rigs drilling for gas for the week ended Dec. 9 tumbled by 36 units, to reach 820. There were 6 rotary rigs unclassified, up 1 from the previous week.
Directional drilling activity was unchanged, holding at 217 rigs working. Horizontal drilling was down 5 rigs to 1,151.
Among the top producing US states, Louisiana saw the biggest loss, down 10 units to 146 rigs working. North Dakota, at 185 units, was down 3. Oklahoma and Pennsylvania were both down 2 reaching respective counts of 196 and 110. Arkansas was off 1 rig to 34 units. New Mexico, unchanged from a week ago, held steady at 77 rigs working. Three states were up 1 rig each: Texas, 903; Wyoming, 53; and Alaska, 7. California and West Virginia, with respective counts of 51 and 28, were up 3 units each. And with a gain of 4 rigs, Colorado reached 81 rigs working.
Canada’s rig count was up 20 units from a week ago at 504 rigs working, which was up 22 units from the same period last year.