Rigs

Offshore Rig Report

Offshore Rig Counts Increase The U.S. and European offshore rig counts increased since last week, according to Offshore Data Services' weekly mobile offshore rig count. In addition, one new rig joined the worldwide drilling fleet. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico rig count posted a net three-rig increase over last week. With 149 of the area's 195 mobile offshore drilling rigs now under contract, U.S. Gulf offshore rig utilization is 76.4 percent. The European offshore rig count increased by two rigs compared to last week. This week, 81 of the area's 106 mobile offshore drilling units are under contract. European offshore rig utilization now stands at 76.4 percent, the same as the U.S. Gulf offshore rig utilization rate. Worldwide, a net five rig increase in the offshore rig count boosted world offshore rig utilization to 76.6 percent. Currently, 487 of the world's 636 mobile offshore drilling units are under contract.

Worldwide Rig Utlization Falls 1.8 Percent

Worldwide offshore rig utilization fell during the week ending August 17, according to ODS-Petrodata Group. U.S. Gulf of Mexico rig utilization fell 1.8 percent to 77.8 percent this week, with 165 rigs under contract out of a total of 212. European offshore rig utilization also fell one percent to 97.1 percent, with 99 of the regions 102 rigs under contract, according to ODS. Worldwide offshore rig utilization fell 0.6 percent with 567 out of 653 rigs with contracts.

Offshore Rig Utilization Reaches Three-Year High

Worldwide offshore rig utilization was the highest in almost three years during the week ending April 27, according to ODS-Petrodata Group. Global rig utilization climbed 0.4 percent to 90.1 percent, due to a three-rig net increase in contracted rigs, ODS-Petrodata reported. Of the world's 649 offshore rigs, 585 are under contract. Worldwide rig utilization is the highest since August 1998. U.S. Gulf rig utilization is also the highest in almost three years

Offshore Rig Count

U.S. Gulf Rig Count Hits 20-Month High The Gulf of Mexico rig count continues to rebound, and this week reached its highest level since July 1998, according to Offshore Data Services' weekly mobile offshore rig count. The Gulf of Mexico rig count is expected to continue to rise as the year progresses. On March 24, 155 of the 198 mobile offshore drilling rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were under contract. The week's tally represents a four-rig increase over the previous week's count

FGH, Ocean Rig End Dispute

Norway's Ocean Rig and Friede Goldman Halter signed an agreement, ending a legal dispute over the building of two drilling rigs that was halted earlier this month. "Work on the rigs, which was suspended briefly by Friede Goldman, causing Ocean Rig to commence arbitration and other legal proceedings against Friede Goldman, resumed in full this morning," it said in a statement to the Oslo Stock Exchange. "Both companies believe that this latest agreement ..

Rig Utilization Up in Europe, Down Worldwide

Offshore rig utilization rose in Europe but declined worldwide and in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico during the week ending June 1, according to ODS-Petrodata Group. European rig utilization rose by one percentage point to 95.1 percent this week after another rig was placed under contract. Of the regions 102 rigs, 97 are under contract, according to ODS. But worldwide rig utilization fell to 89.6 percent as the number of contracted rigs declined by two

Worldwide Offshore Rig Utilization Drops

Worldwide rig utilization decreased the week ending December 15, according to Offshore Data Services (ODS). With 560 of the world's 647 mobile offshore drilling rigs under contract, worldwide offshore rig utilization fell 0.6 percent to 86.6 percent. The rig utilization rate in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico fell because of a one-rig decrease, bringing the number of mobile offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf under contract to 181 out of 207, bringing utilization down 0.9 percent to 87.4 percent

Current Onshore Rig Boom Could Be Halted By Next Year

The boom in U.S. onshore oil and natural gas drilling has yet to peak, bolstering forecasts of continued strong demand for rigs, analysts and executives said this week. But growth in the onshore rig market is likely to slow down next year, and activity in the offshore market is already tailing off, with some companies sending rigs away from the Gulf of Mexico to other countries where profits may be better. "We expect to see 30 to 33 percent growth in the total U.S

BHI U.S. Rig Count Up by Eight

The number of rigs searching for oil and natural gas in the United States rose by eight to 1,270 during the week ending June 1, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes. Last year the number of U.S. rigs on exploration was 866, Baker Hughes said. Meanwhile, the number of rigs exploring for oil and gas in Canada rose 28 to 291, compared to 270 last year. The number of rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico fell by seven to 158, compared to 130 a year ago.

Oil, Gas Rig Numbers Drop

The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in North America fell by 62 during the week ending September 8, led by a 55 rig decrease in Canada and helped by a seven rig decrease in the United States, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes Inc. The number of rigs operating in Canada fell to 266, compared to 267 a year ago, while the number of rigs in the U.S. fell to 1012, compared with last year's 690, according to Baker Hughes. In the U.S