US drilling rig count slides 1 unit to 1,761

March 1, 2013
The US drilling rig count dropped by 4 units during the week ended Mar. 1, with the total number of rotary rigs reaching 1,757, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compared with 1,989 rigs working in the comparable week last year.

The US drilling rig count dropped by 4 units during the week ended Mar. 1, with the total number of rotary rigs reaching 1,757, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compared with 1,989 rigs working in the comparable week last year.

Offshore drilling slipped to 52 rigs, down 1 unit from a week ago. Inland water drilling was unchanged at 19 units. Land-based drilling lost 3 units to 1,686. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 50 were in the Gulf of Mexico, a decline of 1 unit from a week ago.

Rigs targeting natural gas slipped 8 units to 420. Oil-focused rigs jumped 4 to 1,333. Four rigs were unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.

Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 185, down 12 units from a week ago and 30 fewer than the comparable week last year. The number of rigs drilling horizontally climbed 1 to 1,141. This compared with 1,170 rigs working in the comparable week a year ago.

Of the major oil and gas producing states, Louisiana was down 5 units to 104. Texas and Colorado, at 841 and 55, respectively, were down 2 units each. West Virginia and Alaska were down 1 unit each for respective counts of 22 and 8. Three states were unchanged this week: Wyoming, 45; California, 34; and Ohio, 28. Arkansas climbed 1 unit to reach 17. Four states were up 2 rigs each: Oklahoma, 187; North Dakota, 175; New Mexico, 77; and Pennsylvania, 74.

Canada’s rig count slumped this week, down 7 units to 655. This count includes 509 rigs drilling for oil and 146 units drilling for gas. The total was down 26 units from the comparable week last year.