By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 12 -- US drilling activity slipped from a 31-month high, down by 22 rotary rigs to 1,138 working last week, compared with 979 during the same period a year ago.
The biggest decline was in land drilling, down by 24 rigs to 1,031 working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported Thursday. Drilling in inland waters increased by 2 units to 16, while offshore drilling was unchanged at 89 rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and 91 in US waters as a whole.
In Canada, drilling activity dropped by 46 rigs to 148 still working during the seasonal thaw, down from 175 last year.
Among US rigs, the number drilling for natural gas declined by 12 to 988 last week while drilling for oil was down by 9 rigs to 148. There were 2 rigs unclassified.
