The US drilling rig count decreased by 10 units during the week ended Apr. 5 to reach a total of 1,738 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compares with 1,979 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Land-based drilling slumped by 15 units from a week ago to 1,665 rigs working. Offshore drilling increased by 3 units to 48 rigs working. Inland water drilling, at 25 rigs, was up 2 units from a week ago. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 46 were in the Gulf of Mexico, an increase of 3 units from a week ago.
Rigs targeting natural gas fell by 14 units to 375. Those rigs targeting oil, meanwhile, increased by 3 to 1,357. There were 6 rigs considered unclassified, up 1 unit from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 203, down 3 units from a week ago and 28 fewer than the comparable week last year. Rigs drilling horizontally fell 15 units to 1,084. This compared with 1,165 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Oklahoma was down 13 rigs to 179. Pennsylvania, at 63, was down 6 units. West Virginia was down 2 rigs to 20. North Dakota was off 1 unit to 174. Three states were unchanged: California, 39; Arkansas, 15; and Alaska, 9. New Mexico and Colorado, with respective counts of 81 and 59, were each up 1 rig. Three states were up 2 rigs each: Texas, 825; Wyoming, 44; and Ohio, 30. Louisiana was up 4 rigs to 106.
Canada’s rig count slumped again this week, down 40 units to 206. This count includes 117 rigs drilling for oil (down 30 units from a week ago) and 89 units drilling for gas (down 10 from a week ago). The total was up 19 units from the comparable week last year.