The US drilling rig count was up 9 units during the week ended May 31, reaching a total of 1,771 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land-based drilling increased by 6 units from a week ago to 1,691 rigs working. The offshore count gained 4 units to 55, while inland water drilling dropped to 25, down 1 unit. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 52 were in the Gulf of Mexico, up 4 units from a week ago.
Rigs drilling for oil climbed by 8 units to 1,410, while those targeting gas were unchanged this week at 354 rigs working. Seven rigs were considered unclassified, an increase of 1 unit from a week ago.
Rigs drilling horizontally were reported at 1,089, up 2 units from a week ago, and 94 fewer than the comparable week last year. Rigs drilling directionally gained 14 units to 232. This compared with 217 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Texas gained 3 units to reach 843. Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Colorado increased 2 rigs each to respective counts of 188, 176, and 59. New Mexico, Wyoming, and Alaska, at respective counts of 76, 45, and 7, were up 1 rig each. Five states remained unchanged from last week: Louisiana, 107; Pennsylvania, 58; California, 41; Ohio, 32; and West Virginia, 23. Arkansas, meanwhile, fell 1 rig to 14 units working.
Canada’s rig count was up 14 rigs this week to 145. This count includes 89 rigs drilling for oil (up 14 units from a week ago) and 56 units drilling for gas (unchanged from last week). The total was down 11 units from the comparable week last year.