During a week in which much of the oil and gas industry was either preoccupied with the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston or company earnings reports, the US drilling rig count snuck down just 11 more units to settle at 894 rigs working, according to data from Baker Hughes Inc. The decline during the week ended May 8 represents the smallest during the 22 consecutive weeks in which the count has plunged. Over that period since Dec. 5, 1,026 units have gone offline ( OGJ Online, Dec. 5, 2014 ). The total of 894 is the lowest since June 12, 2009, and 961 fewer units compared with this week a year ago. The count’s nadir during the 2008-09 downturn was 876 units on June 12, 2009. The average US rig count for April was 976, down 134 from March and 859 from April […]