Canada rig count continues climb, while US count slides

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, June 7 -- US drilling activity fell again this week, marking the second week of declines following a 7-week stint of consecutive increases (OGJ Online, May 31, 2002). According to Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc.'s rotary rig count, which was released Friday, the US rig count fell 7 rigs, reaching 847 still working. This week's count is down from the year-ago total of 1,264 rotary rigs.

This week's falloff was led by a decline in US land rigs, which were down 5 rigs with 719 working. Offshore rigs and those operating in inland waters fell off 1 rig each, reaching 111 and 17 rigs still working, respectively.

Canada's rig count jumped again this week, reaching 180 units working, up 16 from a week prior.

The number of US rigs drilling for gas fell 11 to 710 this week, while the number of rigs drilling for oil rose 4 to 135. Two rigs remained unclassified.

The number of rigs involved in vertical drilling were down 18 to 543 for the week. There were 235 US rigs drilling directional wells, while those drilling horizontal wells reached 69, up 4 for the week.

Leading the week's decline was Louisiana, down 3 units with 163 unites still working. Wyoming's rig count, meanwhile, was down 2 units to 38.

Alaska's rig count rebounded 1 reaching 11 rigs working, while the Texas rig count rose 2 to 325. Rig counts for Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California remained unchanged, at 107, 39, and 27, respectively.

Meanwhile, ODS-Petrodata Group in Houston reported the number of mobile offshore rigs under contract in the Gulf of Mexico rose 2 to 129 out of 198 available for work, for a utilization rate of 65.2%.

The number of rigs under contract in European waters, meanwhile, rose 2 to 90 out of a fleet of 104 with a utilization rate of 86.5% in that market.

The net lost of 4 contracted rigs dipped worldwide with 530 mobile offshore rigs contracted out of a total fleet of 657. Worldwide utilization reached 80.7% for the week.