North American rig count climbing

HOUSTON, June 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. oil and natural gas drilling rig count for May climbed 38 to 1,635, an industry group said Wednesday.

That's up 316 from the May 2005 level, Baker Hughes Inc. of Houston reported.

The Canadian rig count for May was 240, up 42 from the 198 counted in April and down seven from the 247 counted in May 2005.

The worldwide rig count for May was 2,795, up 88 from the 2,707 counted in April and up 310 from the 2,485 counted in May 2005. The worldwide figures do not include Iran or Sudan, Baker Hughes said.

The international offshore rig count for May climbed 275, up six from the 269 counted in April 2006 and unchanged from the 275 counted in May 2005.