North American rig count plummets 116 to 1,354 on Canadian withdrawals

Ray Tyson

Petroleum News Houston correspondent

The North American rotary rig count, pushed lower by a slump in Canadian activity, dropped by a net 116 to 1,354 rigs during the week ending April 2, according to rig monitor Baker Hughes. Still, there were 161 more rigs working in North America in the recent week compared to the same period last year.

The number of rigs operating in Canada during the recent week fell by 126 to 194 from the previous week, down by 27 rigs compared to the same weekly period last year.

In the United States, the rig count rose by a net 10 to 1,160 during the recent week, up by 188 rigs versus the same period a year earlier. Land rigs alone jumped by nine to 1,055, while offshore rigs increased by one to 91 and inland water rigs were unchanged at 14.

Of the total number of rotary rigs operating in the United States, 1,000 were drilling for natural gas and 157 for oil, while three were being used for miscellaneous purposes, according to Baker Hughes. Of the total, 761 rigs were drilling vertical wells, 303 directional wells, and 96 horizontal wells.

Among the leading producing states in the United States, Oklahoma realized a gain of six rigs to total 158. Texas gained five rigs to total 502. Louisiana’s rig count rose by two to 170. And California was up one rig to 23. New Mexico lost one rig for a total of 65, while Wyoming lost one rig for a total of 61. Alaska was unchanged at 12 rigs.