By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug. 2—US drilling activity rebounded from a 10-week low, with 848 rotary rigs working this week, 15 more than the previous week but well below the 1,200 units that were active during the same period last year, officials at Baker Hughes Inc. reported Friday.
This week's gain made up most of last week's loss of 26 rotary rigs. But land operations increased by only 10 units to 712 active rigs after dropping 23 last week. The number of rigs drilling offshore increased by 4 to 111 in the Gulf of Mexico and by 5 to 116 in US waters overall. The number of units working inland waters this week was unchanged at 20.
Canada had 257 rotary rigs working this week, 7 fewer than the previous week but up from 209 a year ago.
Among US rigs, the number drilling for natural gas increased by 16 to 729, while those drilling for oil were down 2 to 117. Two active rigs were unclassified. Units involved in directional drilling were up 4 to 237, while the rigs doing horizontal drilling were unchanged at 60.
Louisiana led the rebound, up 7 rigs to 165 working. Oklahoma was up 6 to 111. There were 325 rotary rigs drilling in Texas this week, an increase of 3 following a loss of 13 last week when flood waters closed some roadways in central and south portions of the state. Alaska's rig count increased by 2 to 10
New Mexico registered the only decline this week among major producing states, down 2 rigs with 43 working. Wyoming and California were unchanged at 43 and 22, respectively.
Both the number of mobile offshore rigs available for work and the number under contract in the Gulf of Mexico were down by 1 to 195 and 132, respectively, this week, causing slight dip in the utilization rate to 67.7%, said officials at ODS-Petrodata Group in Houston.
In European waters, the available rig fleet and the number contracted were down 1 to 104 and 87, respectively. The utilization rate in those waters declined to 83.7%.
Worldwide, the number of mobile offshore rigs under contract increased by 1 to 533 out of a total fleet of 657. Total utilization of offshore rigs inched up to 81.1%.