Drilling Tool Rentals & Sales in Bakken (Williston Basin)

Drilling activity in the Bakken

The Bakken is the flagship tight-oil play of the Williston Basin, a broad intracratonic basin underlying western North Dakota, eastern Montana and parts of Saskatchewan. Operators target the Middle Bakken and the underlying Three Forks formation, both tight reservoirs that only became economic at scale with horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. Wells are drilled from multi-well pads with long horizontal laterals, commonly two to three miles, to maximize reservoir contact in the low-permeability rock.

Development is led by operators such as Continental Resources, Hess and Chord Energy, running continuous programs focused on drilling efficiency and cycle time. The basin is mature and heavily delineated, so most activity is development drilling and infill rather than frontier exploration. Remote well sites and harsh winters make reliable supply of tubulars and downhole tools a real operational constraint.

What that means for the drill string

Long Bakken laterals generate high torque and drag, so 5” and 5½” S-135 drill pipe is the workhorse, frequently run in a tapered configuration with heavy-weight drill pipe to add weight-on-bit and ease the stiffness transition into the lateral. Directional sections rely on non-magnetic drill collars to house MWD tools, along with stabilizers and drilling jars. Cold temperatures raise the stakes on tool condition and connection integrity, so inspection and traceability matter.

• Drill pipe — 5” and 5½” S-135 for long laterals
• Heavy-weight drill pipe — spiral HWDP for the transition zone
• Drill collars — including non-magnetic for the directional BHA
• Fishing tools — overshots, jars and mills for stuck-pipe recovery

Logistics and standards

The Bakken operates in imperial units with tubulars inspected to API 5DP manufacturing specifications and DS-1 used-drill-pipe categories. Drilling on federal acreage is regulated by the Bureau of Land Management alongside North Dakota and Montana state authorities. Drillstrings works through regional partners to inspect, serialize and truck tools to remote pads, with logistics planned around winter access and load restrictions — see our global oilfield rental logistics guide.

Whether you’re spudding a new pad or recovering from downhole trouble on the critical path, send us your string and we’ll quote within the hour.