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