The US drilling rig count remained unchanged for the week ended Mar. 18 at 663 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compares with 411 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Land-based drilling fell by 1 unit from a week ago to 648 rigs working. Offshore drilling increased by 1 unit to 12 rigs working. Inland water drilling, at 3 rigs, was unchanged from a week ago. Of the rigs drilling offshore, all 12 were in the Gulf of Mexico.
Rigs targeting natural gas increased by 2 units to 137. Those rigs targeting oil, meanwhile, decreased by 3 to 524. There were 2 rigs considered miscellaneous, up 1 unit from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 36, up 3 units from a week ago and 22 more than the comparable week last year. Rigs drilling horizontally fell 1 unit to 606. This compared with 372 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Louisiana was up 2 rigs to 58.
New Mexico, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania each dropped a single rig to reach 97, 32, and 24 rigs running, respectively.
Canada’s rig count slumped. At 176 rigs working, the count is down 30 from last week. This count includes 103 rigs drilling for oil (down 24 units from a week ago) and 73 units drilling for gas (down 6 from a week ago). The total was up 84 units from the comparable week last year.
Mikaila Adams | Managing Editor - News
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was named Managing Editor - News in 2019. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.
