HOUSTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Oil service company Baker Hughes Inc. said the global number of active drilling rigs increased in September but U.S. rigs were down for the month.
Baker Hughes said there were 17 more international rigs active in September than August. The September count of 1,284 was also higher than the 1,254 counted at the same time last year.
The company said the U.S. rig count for the month was down by 21 to 1,760 and 99 less than the number of rigs counted in September 2012. For Canada, the average counted in September was 387, up 19 from the previous month and 32 more than September 2012.
New drilling technologies for shale oil and natural gas deposits helped push North America to the top of the list in terms of global producers. Canada relies almost exclusively on the United States as an energy trading partner. The United States, meanwhile, is producing more oil than it has since the late 1980s.
Baker Hughes provided no explanation Monday for the variations in active rigs counted in September.
