Offshore Rig Use Up

Worldwide offshore rig utilization climbed slightly the week ending March 9, according to ODS-Petrodata Group. Global rig utilization climbed 0.1 percent to 87.4percent, due to a one-rig net increase in contracted rigs, ODS reported. U.S. Gulf rig utilization was unchanged at 88.2 percent, with 186 out of the region's 211 mobile offshore rigs under contract. European offshore rig utilization decreased by 0.1 percent to 92.1 percent, with 93 of the region's 101 mobile offshore rigs under contract. ODS-Petrodata Group total worldwide offshore rig count includes changes in utilization and fleet size in regions beyond just the Gulf of Mexico and Europe.

U.S. Rig Count Up 7

The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose by seven to 1,158 during the week ending March 9, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes Inc.A year ago there were 768 rigs operating in the United States. The number of rigs in Canada fell by six to 534, compared to 441 a year ago. In the Gulf of Mexico, the number of rigs searching for oil and gas gained nine to 165, compared to 120 last year. The number of U.S. rigs searching for oil rose by 12 to 252, while the number of rigs searching for gas fell by seven to 903. There were three miscellaneous rigs, up two from last week. The number of U.S. rigs exploring on land were 966, down two, while the number of rigs operating offshore reached 170, up 10. The number of rigs in inland waters fell one to 22. There were 271 U.S. rigs exploring directionally, up 11; 74 exploring horizontally, up six; and 813 exploring vertically, down 10. The states with the largest changes in their rig counts were Louisiana, which gained seven to 230, Texas, which lost six to 454, and Oklahoma, which gained six to 137. - (Reuters)