US rig count edges higher, Canada slips

Baker Hughes reported that total North American upstream activity for the week ending April 9 was lower than the previous week, though US and Canadian natural gas work was more dominant than oil.

The total US rig count of 432 was two higher than the previous period, with the gain coming from natural gas.

The Haynesville play was the most active for natural gas, though the 44 rigs in service was more or less unchanged from December levels. A close second, all 30 rigs in the Marcellus basin were working in natural gas, also in line with December activity.

The Permian basin, the largest inland oil producer, had the most rigs deployed at 224, unchanged from last week, and nearly all of that was in oil.

Canadian rig activity declined 11 from the previous period to 58, though it is typical to see Canadian upstream activity slow down during the March-April period due to restrictions imposed during the spring thaw.

It was natural gas work that dominated with 39 rigs in play, though that count was down six from the previous reporting period. Most of the upstream activity in Canada was focused in Alberta, followed by British Columbia.

The total North American rig count for the week ending April 9 was 490, a decline of nine from the previous reporting period.

There were 11 rigs working in the US waters of the Gulf of Mexico for the reporting period, all in oil. There was no offshore activity in Canada.