The US drilling rig count gained 6 units to 1,889 rigs working during the week ended Aug. 1, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Rigs drilling on land jumped 9 units to 1,814, more than offsetting a 2-unit drop in offshore rigs to 58 and a 1-unit drop in rigs drilling in inland waters to 17.
Rigs targeting oil jumped 11 units to 1,573, while gas rigs declined 5 units to 313. Rigs considered unclassified were unchanged at 3 overall.
Horizontal drilling rigs were up 5 units for the second consecutive week, reaching 1,298. Meanwhile, directional drilling rigs declined sharply by 11 units to 218.
Canada’s rig count went in the opposite direction compared with the US during the week, dropping 3 units to 392. A 9-unit rise in gas rigs to 166 was overcome by a 12-unit decline in oil rigs to 226.
Major states, basins
Texas surged up 18 units to 904 rigs working, accounting for most of the upward movement in the major oil- and gas-producing states. In a distant second was neighboring Oklahoma with a 5-unit gain to 209. New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Alaska each edged up 1 unit to 95, 54, and 6, respectively.
Unchanged from a week ago were Ohio at 43, West Virginia at 27, and Arkansas at 11.
North Dakota and Colorado each edged down a unit to 177 and 68, respectively. Wyoming and Utah lost 2 units apiece to 50 and 25, respectively. Kansas fell 3 units to 27. California declined 5 units to 41. With a 9-unit drop, Louisiana now has 110 rigs working.
Both the biggest gain and biggest loss of the major US basins occurred within Texas, where the Permian was up 7 units to 562 and the Eagle Ford was down 7 units to 204.