North American drilling rig count drops by 30 to 1,655

Ray Tyson

Petroleum News Houston correspondent

The number of rotary rigs operating in North America fell by a net 30 to 1,655 during the week ending March 12, according to rig monitor Baker Hughes.

Canada led the decline with 35 rigs taken out of operation, bringing the total number of active rigs in Canada to 521, down 15 rigs compared to the same weekly period last year.

The United States gained a net five rigs compared to the previous week to bring its total to 1,134 rigs, up by 207 rigs vs. the year-ago period. Land rigs alone rose by 11 to 1,022. However, the offshore rig count fell by three to 94, while the inland waters count fell by three to 18 rigs. Of the total number of rigs operating in the United States during the recent week, 961 were drilling for natural gas and 169 for oil, while four rigs were being used for miscellaneous purposes. Of the total, 738 were drilling vertical wells, 298 directional wells, and 98 horizontal wells.

Among the leading producing states in the United States, Texas gained 12 rigs to end the week with 488, while New Mexico’s rig count rose by four to 68. Oklahoma lost eight rigs for a total of 151, Louisiana’s rig count fell by four to 165, Alaska took three rigs out of operation for a total of 11 and Wyoming’s rig count was down by two to 63. California was unchanged at 19 rigs.