By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 6 -- US drilling activity continued increasing, up by another 18 rotary rigs—the same gain as the previous week—to 1,836 units working, compared with 1,492 rigs making hole in the comparable week a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land operations accounted for the gain with an increase of 18 rigs to 1,787 drilling this week. Offshore drilling increased by 1 rig to 29 in the Gulf of Mexico and a total of 30 units in US coastal waters. That was offset by a decline of 1 rig to 19 drilling in inland waters.
Of the US rigs working, 890 were drilling for natural gas, 8 more than the previous week. The number drilling for oil also increased by 8 rigs, to 934 in a market where oil prices are stronger than gas prices. There were 12 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling jumped by 15 units to 1,038 rigs working. Directional drilling increased by 6 units to 225.
Among the major producing states, Texas had the biggest increase in its rig count this week, up 12 to 816. Louisiana gained 4 for a total 174. West Virginia was up by 2 rigs to 17. Pennsylvania and New Mexico added 1 rig each for respective totals of 110 and 73. Unchanged were Colorado, 72; Wyoming, 42; California, 41; Arkansas, 34; and Alaska, 5. Oklahoma and North Dakota were down 1 rig each to 182 and 161, respectively.
Canada’s rotary rig count fell by 10 to 123, compared with 103 rigs working in the same period last year.