US drilling rig count climbs 9 units to 1,757

July 3, 2013
The US drilling rig count climbed 9 units during the week ended July 5 to reach a total of 1,757 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. The week’s rig count was released 2 days earlier than usual because of the Fourth of July holiday in the US.

The US drilling rig count climbed 9 units during the week ended July 5 to reach a total of 1,757 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. The week’s rig count was released 2 days earlier than usual because of the Fourth of July holiday in the US.

Most of the gains were seen on land, with land-based drilling up 6 units from a week ago to 1,676 rigs working. The offshore rig count gained 3 units to reach 59 rigs working. Those rigs drilling in inland waters remained unchanged this week, at 22 units. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 57 were in the Gulf of Mexico, an increase of 3 units from a week ago.

Rigs drilling for oil gained 5 units to reach 1,395, while those targeting gas gained 2 units to reach 355 rigs working. Seven rigs were considered unclassified, an increase of 2 rigs from a week ago.

Rigs drilling horizontally were reported at 1,068, up 1 unit from a week ago, and 106 fewer than the comparable week last year. Rigs drilling directionally rose 15 units this week to reach 255. This compared with 242 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.

Of the major oil and gas producing states, Texas and Colorado, with respective counts of 835 and 66, were each up 3 units. North Dakota, at 177, and New Mexico, at 78, were each up 2 rigs. Oklahoma, California, and Ohio were each up 1 units with counts of 174, 40, and 33, respectively. Five states were unchanged: Louisiana, 103; Wyoming, 49; West Virginia, 25; Arkansas, 14; and Alaska, 8. Pennsylvania, off 1 rig from a week ago, reached 53 units working.

Canada’s rig count gained 8 units this week to reach 214. This count includes 152 rigs drilling for oil (up 4 units from a week ago) and 62 units drilling for gas (also up 4 units from last week). Canada’s rig count total was down 50 units from the comparable week last year.