The US drilling rig count made a slight gain of 2 units during the week ended Mar. 29 reaching a total 1,748 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compares with 1,979 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Land-based drilling shot up by 9 units from a week ago to 1,680 rigs working. Offshore drilling declined by 7 units to 45 rigs. Inland water drilling, at 23 rigs, was unchanged from a week ago. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 43 were in the Gulf of Mexico, a decline of 7 units from a week ago.
Rigs targeting natural gas slumped by 29 units to 389 rigs working. Rigs targeting oil, meanwhile, increased by 30 to 1,354. There were 5 rigs considered unclassified, up 1 unit from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 206, down 8 units from a week ago and 27 fewer than the comparable week last year. Those rigs drilling horizontally fell 1 to 1,099. This compared with 1,180 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Oklahoma was up 9 rigs to 192. Colorado, at 58 this week, was up 2 units. North Dakota and Pennsylvania, at 175 and 69, respectively, were up 1 rig each. Six states remained unchanged this week, namely New Mexico, 80; California, 39; Ohio, 28; West Virginia, 22; Arkansas, 15; and Alaska, 9. Wyoming was down 1 unit to 42; Texas was down 4 units to 823; and Louisiana was down 7 units to 102.
Canada’s rig count slumped again this week, down 91 units to 246. This count includes 147 rigs drilling for oil (down 74 units from a week ago) and 99 units drilling for gas (down 17 from a week ago). The total was down 10 units from the comparable week last year.
