By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug. 15 -- US drilling activity rebounded this week, increasing by 22 rotary rigs to 1,096 working and virtually wiping out the previous week's loss. A year ago at this time, there were 853 rotary rigs working in the US and its waters, officials at Baker Hughes Inc. reported Friday.
Last week, the US rig count plunged by 23 rigs to 1,074 units working. It was the biggest 1-week loss since early November 2002, when the US rig count dropped by 28 units to 826.
This week's recovery was primarily in land drilling operations, up 20 rigs to 972 active units. Offshore drilling increased by 5 rigs to 107 in the Gulf of Mexico and 111 for the US as a whole. Inland waters operations were down by 3 rigs to 13.
In Canada, drilling activity increased by 8 rigs to 405 units, up from 219 during the same period last year.
Among US rigs, 933 were drilling for natural gas this week, 13 more than last week. Those drilling for oil increased by 9 to 158. There were 5 rigs unclassified. Directional drilling declined by 2 units to 287 rigs. Horizontal drilling increased by 6 rigs to 102.
Texas led the rebound, up 10 rigs to 479 making hole this week. Louisiana's rig count improved by 6 to 158, and New Mexico was up 5 to 64. Oklahoma and California increased by 2 rigs each to 137 and 25, respectively. Alaska was unchanged, with 7 rigs working. Wyoming recorded the only loss among the major producing states, down 2 rigs to 63 still active.
The number of mobile offshore rigs under contract in the Gulf of Mexico decreased by 1 to 129, and the rig fleet lost 1 to 172 as a semisubmersible rig left those waters this week en route to West Africa, said officials Friday at ODS-Petrodata, Houston. As a result, the fleet utilization rate in the gulf dipped slightly to 78%.
In European waters, there were 82 mobile offshore rigs under contract, 1 less than last week, out of 100 available for work. That dropped utilization to 82%. Worldwide, the number of mobile offshore rigs under contract increased by 1 to 529 out of a total fleet of 653. Global utilization among those rigs inched up to 81%.