HOUSTON, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) announced today that the international rig count for September 2008 was 1,108, up 21 from the 1,087 counted in August 2008, and up 76 from the 1,032 counted in September 2007. The international offshore rig count for September 2008 was 293, up 1 from the 292 counted in August 2008 and up 8 from the 285 counted in September 2007.

The US rig count for September 2008 was 2,014, up 27 from the 1,987 counted in August 2008 and up 231 from the 1,783 counted in September 2007. The Canadian rig count for September 2008 was 435, down 14 from the 449 counted in August 2008 and up 84 from the 351 counted in September 2007.

The worldwide rig count for September 2008 was 3,557, up 34 from the 3,523 counted in August 2008 and up 391 from the 3,166 counted in September 2007.

    September 2008 Rotary Rig Counts
                         September 2008       August 2008      September 2007
                     Land   OS  Total  Var.  Land  OS  Total  Land    OS Total
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Europe          49    50    99     2    49    48    97    31    46    77
      Middle East    248    43   291     2   257    32   289   239    34   273
      Africa          53    15    68     6    46    16    62    57    16    73
      Latin America  324    74   398    16   307    75   382   291    72   363
      Asia Pacific   141   111   252    (5)  136   121   257   129   117   246
                     ---   ---   ---         ---   ---   ---   ---   ---   ---
    International    815   293  1108    21   795   292  1087   747   285  1032
      United States 1942    72  2014    27  1920    67  1987  1718    65  1783
      Canada         434     1   435   (14)  448     1   449   348     3   351
                     ---     -   ---         ---     -   ---   ---     -   ---
    North America   2376    73  2449    13  2368    68  2436  2066    68  2134
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Worldwide       3191   366  3557    34  3163   360  3523  2813   353  3166

About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the United States, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotary rig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes Tool Company began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughes initiated the monthly international rig count in 1975.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon central time on the last working day of each week. The international rig count is scheduled to be released on the 5th working day of the month. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughes rig counts is available from our website at http://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig.

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation,

completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas

                                  industry.
     Contacts:
     Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
     H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated