The US drilling rig count dropped by 5 units during the week ended Feb. 8, with the total number of rotary rigs reaching 1,759, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compared with 1,989 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Offshore drilling reached 55 rigs, up 2 units from a week ago. The tally of rigs drilling in inland waters was unchanged from the previous week at 16. Land-based drilling, meanwhile, fell 7 units to 1,688. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 53 were in the Gulf of Mexico, a 2-rig gain from a week ago.
Rigs targeting natural gas fell 3 units to 425. Rigs drilling for oil fell 2 to 1,330. There were 4 rigs unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 185, up 2 rigs from a week ago but 30 fewer than the comparable week last year. The number of rigs drilling horizontally jumped 7 to 1,143. This compared with 1,171 rigs working in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Louisiana was up 5 units to 111; Pennsylvania was up 2 to 71, and Colorado was up 1 rig to 56.
New Mexico was down 3 units to 76, Texas was down 2 to 824. North Dakota’s tally also dropped by 2 units to 178.
Alaska, West Virginia, and Wyoming were down 1 rig each to respective counts of 8, 23, and 46.
The following states held unchanged from the previous week: Arkansas at 16, California at 34, and Oklahoma at 196.
Canada’s rig count rose again this week, up 6 units to 631. This count includes 480 rigs drilling for oil and 151 units drilling for gas. The total was down 78 units from the comparable week last year.
The worldwide rig count for January was 3,539, up 149 from December 2012 and down 212 from January 2012, Baker Hughes said.
The international count for January was 1,279, up 26 from December 2012, and up 108 from January 2012. The international offshore rig count for January was 307, up 8 from December 2012, and unchanged from 307 counted in January 2012.