NOV RIG CENSUS
“Drilling contractors have indicated that more
rigs could be active if they were able to staff
them adequately, further highlighting the
challenge of crew availability and retention.”
removed per the census rules. While still
less than the number of reactivations in
2019, it is a sharp increase compared with
the number of rigs added to the fleet in
2020 and 2021. More reactivations would
likely have occurred had it not been for
inflation and supply constraints on things
like frac sand and crews. Four offshore
rigs were added to the US fleet: One drill-
ship, one jackup and two semisubmers-
ibles entered the US GOM. This number
is likely to increase further this year after
the census period as the drillship market
in the US GOM is basically sold out and
will soon see the first eighth-generation
unit. US rig attrition
A total of 61 rigs were removed from the
available fleet in the 2022 census, partly
offset by the addition of 38 rigs that were
either newbuilds, reactivated or moved
into the region. Therefore, the total fleet
size was reduced by 23 rigs. This is a much
smaller number than what was seen in
the previous census, when 276 rigs were
removed. It is also well below the average
fleet reduction of 210 rigs per year seen
over the past five years, mainly due to
large reductions in 2018 and 2021. Of the
61 rigs removed, 30 were scrapped, includ-
ing 25 land rigs and five old jackups from
the ’70s and ’80s, and 31 were removed per
census rules.

US drilling activity
There were 893 active rigs in the US
in the census period – 851 land and 42
offshore. This reflects an increase of 40%
compared with 2021 but is still 61% fewer
than the 2,269 active rigs in 2014 before the
start of the global downturn. Overall, land
saw 55% utilization while offshore had 43%
utilization. Not surprisingly, the Permian led with
370 active rigs, representing 56% utiliza-
tion for the region’s fleet. The Permian
fleet decreased from 759 to 656 available
rigs, likely due to stacked rigs now hitting
their third year not working compared
with high-spec rigs quickly returning to
work. Although having a smaller fleet
of 114 rigs, the ArkLaTex region saw the
highest utilization rate of 75%.

5000 Canadian fleet and activity
The Canadian rig fleet decreased by
approximately 12% to 358, a new historical
low. The offshore fleet remained at seven
rigs: three platforms, three semisubmers-
ibles and one drill barge. Although one
drillship left the region, it was offset by
the entrance of a semisubmersible. As for
the land rig fleet, six were added, while 54
were removed according to census rules,
netting 351 available land rigs.

Fleet utilization hit 51%, the highest
since 2006, although the available fleet
now is less than half the size of what it
was in 2006. Still, 51% is a healthy uti-
lization rate as the census period often
coincides with the spring breakup. The
number of active rigs increased for the
second consecutive year, reaching 184 in
2022. This is up from 140 active rigs in
2021 and far more than the 2020 low of 29.

Drilling contractors have indicated that
US Available Rigs and Utilization Rates
US Available and Active Rigs
6000 This year, land rigs capable of drilling
20,000 ft or more (839 rigs) led with 61%
utilization. Rigs rated between 16,000 and
19,999 ft (312 rigs) increased to 184 active,
or 59% utilization. Rigs with drilling depth
capacities between 6,000 and 9,999 ft saw
52% utilization. It should be noted that
there are only 135 rigs in this segment.

Offshore, jackup utilization increased
from 33% in 2021 to 46%, with six rigs active
out of 13 total. Semisubmersibles had no
active rigs last year but had two active
rigs this year, representing 67% utilization.

Finally, drillships are nearly tapped out
with 95% utilization of the 20 available rigs.

6000 Available  rigs
Active  rigs
100% 90%
5000 4000
4000 3000
3000 80%
70% 54%
2000 1000
0 1640
893 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2022
60% 50%
40% 2000
30% 1640
20% 1000
Available  rigs
Utilization 
rate 0
1955 1958
1961 1964
1967 1970
1973 1976
10% 0
1979 1982
1985 1988
1991 1994
1997 2000
2004 2007
2010 2013
2016 2019
2022 Figure 1: The US available fleet, land and offshore, had a net decrease of 23 rigs for a total 1,640 available rigs. Of that total, 893
rigs worked during this year’s census period. Figure 2: Utilization in the US continued its positive developments from last year,
going from 38% in 2021 to 54% in 2022.

32 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 • DRILLING CONTRACTOR




NOV RIG CENSUS
TABLE 1: US RIG FLEET, 2007-2022
Previous Year's
Fleet for each year
2022 2021
2020 2019
2018 2017
2016 2015
2014 2013
2012 2011
2010 2009
2008 2007
1663 1939
1960 1952
2690 2791
3064 3254
3055 3006
3081 3153
3169 3076
2817 2298
REDUCTIONS TO FLEET
Removed from
service -31
-185 -11
-37 -805
-215 -302
-373 -177
-182 -386
-315 -212
-164 -59
-77 Moved out of the
country 0
0 0
-1 -11
-5 -18
-24 -6
-22 -23
-16 -45
-49 -29
-14 Destroyed
-30 -100
-16 -6
-2 -2
-4 -1
-5 -3
-1 -3
-2 -5
0 -4
Subtotal Deletions
-61 -285
-27 -44
-818 -222
-324 -398
-188 -207
-410 -334
-259 -218
-88 -95
ADDITIONS TO FLEET
Newly manufactured
6 6
6 29
22 42
48 185
187 147
223 158
131 237
202 349
Reactivated or
assembled from
parts 32
3 0
22 55
73 0
10 194
100 100
98 96
44 132
260 Moved into the
country 0
0 0
1 3
6 3
13 6
9 12
6 16
30 13
5 Subtotal
Additions 38
9 6
52 80
121 51
208 387
256 335
262 243
311 347
614 NET CHANGE
-23 -276
-21 8
-738 -101
-273 -190
199 49
-75 -72
-16 93
259 519
TOTAL AVAILABLE RIGS
1640 1663
1939 1960
1952 2690
2791 3064
3254 3055
3006 3081
3153 3169
3076 2817
TOTAL ACTIVE
RIGS 893
640 440
1187 1273
1121 548
1106 2269
2055 2248
2059 2024
1264 2541
2402 UTILIZATION
54% 38%
23% 61%
65% 42%
20% 36%
70% 67%
75% 67%
64% 40%
83% 85%
OVERALL 95%
85% 91%
81% 70%
71% 77%
88% 62%
71% 73%
95% 85%
91% 81%
70% Table 1: 38 rigs were added and 61 were
deleted, for a net change of 31 fewer
rigs in the US fleet this year. Figure 3:
While the US available fleet decreased
this year, it was at a much lower rate
than last year – only by 23 rigs com-
pared with 276 rigs in 2021.

Net Change in US Fleet
1500 1000
500 more rigs could be active if they were able
to staff them adequately, further highlight-
ing the challenge of crew availability and
retention. Offshore saw four active rigs: three plat-
forms and one semisubmersible. This is up
from just one drillship and one platform
active during the last census period.

International land rig
utilization The number of active international land
rigs is estimated at 2,254, with a 73% utili-
zation rate, including Russia and China. In
every region except Europe, the active rig
count rose.

-23 0
-500 -1000
1955 1960
1965 1970
1975 1980
1985 The Ukraine count dropped following
the Russian invasion, declining from
39 active rigs in January to only five
rigs three months after the war began.

Elsewhere in Europe, Turkey has remained
1990 1995
2000 2005
2010 2015
2022 flat since before the pandemic, with rough-
ly 20 active rigs.

South American leaders Argentina and
Colombia have reached pre-pandemic lev-
els of activity, with approximately 50 and
DRILLING CONTRACTOR • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
33