The number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or gas worldwide rose 4.5% in June from May helped by the inclusion of Iraqi rigs for the first time since 1990, Baker Hughes said Monday in a monthly report.
The worldwide count for June 2012 was 3,484 rigs, up 149 from 3,335 counted in May 2012 and up 227 from the 3,257 in June 2011, Baker Hughes said.
The June rig count includes the addition of 79 rigs in Iraq and also reflects changes for countries including Indonesia, Colombia, Venezuela, Algeria, and offshore China, Baker Hughes said.
Of the June total, 3,126 rigs were on land and 358 offshore.
The international rig count for June -- which excludes rigs in the United States and Canada -- was 1,285, up 60 from May, and up 127 from June 2011.
In the US, the average rig count for June was 1,972, down 5 from May, but up 109 from the year-ago month.
