The US drilling rig count slumped by 30 units during the week ended Mar. 22 reaching a total 1,746 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compares with 1,968 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Land-based drilling bore the brunt of this loss, falling 30 units from a week ago to 1,671 rigs working. Offshore drilling decreased by 1 unit to 52 rigs. Inland water drilling, at 23 rigs, was up by 1 unit. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 50 were in the Gulf of Mexico, a decline of 1 unit from a week ago.
Rigs targeting natural gas decreased 13 units to 418. Oil-targeted rigs were also down, falling 17 units to 1,324. Four rigs were unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 214, up 5 units from a week ago but 17 fewer than the comparable week last year. The number of rigs drilling horizontally fell 31 to 1,100. This compared with 1,174 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Texas was off 11 units to 827. Pennsylvania, at 68 this week, was down 6 units. Louisiana was down 5 to 109; Oklahoma was down 4 to 183. North Dakota and Wyoming, at respective counts of 174 and 43, were down 3 rigs each. Colorado and Alaska, meanwhile, were down 1 rig each to 56 and 9, respectively. Three states were unchanged this week: New Mexico, 80; California, 39; and Arkansas, 15. Ohio and West Virginia, at 28 and 22, respectively, each gained 1 rig.
Canada’s rig count slumped again this week, down 166 units to 337. This count includes 221 rigs drilling for oil and 116 units drilling for gas. The total was down 15 units from the comparable week last year.