BHI: Yearend US rig count continues to climb

The US rig count increased yet again this week, jumping 5 units to reach a total of 658 during the week ended Dec. 30, according to data from Baker Hughes Inc.

Rigs targeting oil continued to rise with a 2-unit jump to 525 units working. Natural gas-directed rigs gained 3 units to 132. One rig considered unclassified remains operational.

Seven of the units to come online this week were on land, bringing that total to 634. Rigs drilling horizontally increased 6 units to 532. Directional drilling rigs fell 2 units to 56.

Offshore rigs fell 2 units to 23. One rig remains drilling in inland waters.

Canada’s rig count, meanwhile, plummeted 67 units to 157 this week. That country’s count is still up 74 units over last year at this time. Oil-directed rigs in Canada dropped 54 units to 52 while gas-directed rigs decreased by 13 to 100 units working.

There was little change from last week among the major oil and gas producing states. Rigs drilling in Texas rose 3 units to reach 324 units working. Oklahoma reached a total of 86 rigs, up 2 units from last week. New Mexico and North Dakota were up 1 unit each for respective totals of 34 and 33. Kansas lost its only rig this week.

Unchanged from a week ago were Louisiana, 48; Pennsylvania, 32; Colorado, 28; Ohio, 19; Wyoming, 19; Alaska, 9; West Virginia, 8; California, 6; Utah, 4; and Arkansas, 1.