US rig count continues climbing

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Mar. 19 -- US drilling activity keeps climbing, up by 20 units to 1,427 rotary rigs working this week, compared with 1,085 during the same period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Land operations accounted for the increase, up by 21 rigs to 1,362 making hole. Inland waters activity declined by 1 rig to 14. US offshore was unchanged with 51 rigs drilling in US waters, including 49 in the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the US rigs working, 939 were drilling for natural gas, an increase of 12 over the previous week. There were 474 drilling for oil, a gain of 8 rigs. There were 14 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling increased by 9 units to 711. Directional drilling also was up 9 units, to 225.

Among major producing states, Texas and Oklahoma increased by 5 rigs each to respective counts of 595 and 115. Louisiana was up 4 to 213. Colorado, California, and West Virginia gained 3 rigs each to 53, 28, and 21, respectively. Alaska added 2 units for a total 11. North Dakota increased by 1 rig to 93. Arkansas and Wyoming were unchanged with respective totals of 42 and 37. Pennsylvania was down 1 unit to 73. New Mexico had 51 rigs working, down 2.

Canada’s rotary rig count fell by 159 units to 320 still working, compared with 159 drilling in the same period last year.