NOV RIG CENSUS
TABLE 4: US FLEET BY REGION
OWNERSHIP REGION
Alaska Northern
Rockies Southern
Rockies POWER SOURCE
RIG TYPE
YEAR AVAILABLE ACTIVE
UTILIZATION DRILLER OPERATOR
MECHANICAL SCR/
LAND ELECTRIC
2022 25
28% 1
24 7
12 13
PLATFORM BOTTOM
SUPPORTED TOTAL
OFFSHORE 12
12 1
13 12
1 2021
24 3
13% 11
13 9
15 11
2022 77
44 57%
77 0
11 66
77 BARGE
FLOATING 13
0 2021
78 23
29% 78
0 11
67 78
0 2022
116 61
53% 115
1 20
96 116
0 2021
110 38
35% 110
0 19
91 110
0 Northeast
States 2022
125 71
57% 118
7 32
93 125
0 2021
123 61
50% 121
2 40
83 123
0 Permian
Basin 2022
656 370
56% 655
1 117
539 656
0 2021
759 292
38% 759
0 158
601 759
0 Gulf Coast
ArkLaTex California
Southeast States
Mid- Continent
TOTAL 2022
260 150
58% 222
38 54
206 180
16 23
29 12
80 2021
206 82
40% 185
24 24
182 126
18 20
31 11
80 2022
114 86
75% 112
2 19
95 114
0 2021
105 63
60% 103
2 15
90 105
0 2022
40 10
25% 34
6 22
18 35
5 5
2021 40
13 33%
35 5
23 17
35 2022
10 3
30% 1
9 5
5 10
5 5
0 2021
30 7
23% 1
29 11
19 30
0 2022
217 91
42% 217
0 82
135 217
0 2021
188 58
31% 185
3 80
108 188
2022 1640
893 54%
1563 77
363 1277
1542 16
23 46
13 98
2021 1663
640 38%
1588 78
390 1273
1565 20
48 12
98 Table 4: The Northern Rockies region
had the biggest increase in utilization,
going from 29% in 2021 to 57% in 2022.
Figure 4: Approximately one-quarter of
all MODUs globally are in the Middle
East. This number will likely increase
with the influx of jackups heading there
in 2022 and 2023 to work for NOCs.
0 18
Global Active Offshore Mobile Fleet By Region
Middle East, 25.8%
Far East, 14.1%
NW Europe, 11.5%
Indian Ocean, 8.5%
SE Asia, 7.5%
Mexico, 7.2%
South America, 6.8%
US GOM, 5.8%
West Africa, 4.7%
2022 sees Libya dramatically down to just
two rigs, while Algeria is up from 25 rigs
to 33. Nigeria now takes second place with
eight rigs.
The Middle East reached its bottom
in November 2020, after which the rig
count rose as restrictions were intention-
ally relaxed. Of note is the acceleration of
active Iraqi rigs to almost match Saudi lev-
els, at 55 and 56, respectively, in June 2022.
Oman sits in the third position with 48.
Global offshore mobile fleet
The global mobile offshore drilling unit
(MODU) fleet is finally seeing positiv-
ity, as eight years of attrition and the
recent uptick in activity have created
Med/Black Sea, 3.4%
Australia/New Zealand, 1.7%
Caspian, 1.3%
Russian Arctic, 0.6%
Central America, 0.4%
Baltic, 0.4%
Canada East, 0.2%
US Alaska, 0.0%
a tight market for drillships and jack-
ups. Several stacked rigs were reacti-
vated, including some that had been cold
stacked for more than five years. The
trend of stranded rigs finally being deliv-
ered from shipyards continued in 2022
and should continue in 2023. NOCs like
Saudi Aramco and ADNOC are driving
up jackup demand in the Middle East,
while the tight Golden Triangle drillship
markets seek to add incremental rigs,
especially in Brazil.
A total of 22 offshore mobile rigs – nine
semisubmersibles and 13 jackups – were
removed from the fleet. This was partly
offset by 17 rigs entering the fleet, includ-
DRILLING CONTRACTOR • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
35