The US drilling rig count jumped 12 units to reach 1,775 rigs working in the week ended Dec. 6, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Nine from that total were land-based rigs, which reached a total of 1,696. Rigs drilling offshore increased 4 units to 61. Rigs drilling in inland waters lost 1 unit to 18.
Gas rigs added 8 units to reach a total of 375 while oil rigs gained 6 units to 1,397. Rigs considered unclassified dropped 2 units to 3 units working.
Directional drilling rigs edged up a single unit to 223. Horizontal drilling rigs jumped 10 units to 1,137.
In Canada, a tally of 17 more units brought the country’s total for the week to 402. Oil rigs comprised most of that gain, collecting 15 more units from a week ago to 230. Gas rigs claimed 2 more units to reach 172.
Major states, basins
Productive weeks in Texas and Oklahoma headlined changes in the major oil- and gas-producing states. An 8-unit gain in the Lone Star State gave it a total of 842 rigs working. A 5-unit rise in Oklahoma lifted its total to 180. California was up 2 to 37. West Virginia, Utah, and Alaska each added a single unit to 35, 28, and 9, respectively. Unchanged from a week ago were New Mexico at 78, Wyoming at 57, Ohio at 35, Kansas at 30, and Arkansas at 11. North Dakota and Colorado ended the week down 1 unit each, with respective counts of 167 and 66. Louisiana, at 110, and Pennsylvania, at 53, were both off this week by 2 rigs each.
Movement in the major US basins included a 3-unit boost to the Permian to 473 and a 2-unit addition to the Haynesville to 40. A few states lost 1 unit, including the Eagle Ford at 226, Williston at 179, Marcellus at 86, and DJ-Niobrara at 48.
