The number of active drilling rigs in the United States fell to 720 this week, down by 11 from the previous week and by 8 from last year, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes.
These active drilling rigs included 575 oil rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields, down by 11 from the previous week; 141 gas drilling rigs, unchanged from last week; and four miscellaneous rigs, same as last week.
The rigs included 697 land drilling rigs, two inland water rigs, and 21 offshore drilling rigs.
Of them, 51 are directional drilling rigs, 650 are horizontal drilling rigs and 19 are vertical drilling rigs.
The Permian Basin in western Texas and eastern New Mexico has been the largest source of shale oil production growth in the United States, and an engine of supply growth outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in the past years.
