diff --git a/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel.hpp b/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel.hpp
index 40856e1d1..fb8a8af0d 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel.hpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel.hpp
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ namespace Opm {
             // The number of components in the model.
             int numComponents() const;
 
-            int numWells() const;
+            int numLocalWells() const;
 
             int numPhases() const;
 
diff --git a/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel_impl.hpp b/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel_impl.hpp
index 84fdc6a16..dfc40f9b6 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel_impl.hpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/wells/BlackoilWellModel_impl.hpp
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ namespace Opm {
     {
         std::vector<WellInterfacePtr> well_container;
 
-        const int nw = numWells();
+        const int nw = numLocalWells();
 
         if (nw > 0) {
             well_container.reserve(nw);
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ namespace Opm {
         const Well2& well_ecl = wells_ecl_[index_well_ecl];
 
         // Finding the location of the well in wells struct.
-        const int nw = numWells();
+        const int nw = numLocalWells();
         int well_index_wells = -999;
         for (int w = 0; w < nw; ++w) {
             if (well_name == std::string(wells()->name[w])) {
@@ -944,7 +944,7 @@ namespace Opm {
     BlackoilWellModel<TypeTag>::
     localWellsActive() const
     {
-        return numWells() > 0;
+        return numLocalWells() > 0;
     }
 
 
@@ -1148,7 +1148,7 @@ namespace Opm {
     computeWellPotentials(std::vector<double>& well_potentials, const int reportStepIdx, Opm::DeferredLogger& deferred_logger)
     {
         // number of wells and phases
-        const int nw = numWells();
+        const int nw = numLocalWells();
         const int np = numPhases();
         well_potentials.resize(nw * np, 0.0);
 
@@ -1380,7 +1380,7 @@ namespace Opm {
     int
     BlackoilWellModel<TypeTag>::numComponents() const
     {
-        if (numWells() > 0 && numPhases() < 3) {
+        if (wellsActive()  && numPhases() < 3) {
             return numPhases();
         }
         int numComp = FluidSystem::numComponents;
@@ -1393,7 +1393,7 @@ namespace Opm {
 
     template<typename TypeTag>
     int
-    BlackoilWellModel<TypeTag>:: numWells() const
+    BlackoilWellModel<TypeTag>:: numLocalWells() const
     {
         return wells() ? wells()->number_of_wells : 0;
     }