HOUSTON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States decreased by 21 to 991 this week, and 30 rigs down from this time last year, according to the weekly data released by oilfield services provider Baker Hughes on Friday.
The number of rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields decreased by 20 to 805 this week, and more than half of them were located in the Permian Basin region of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The number of gas drilling rigs decreased by one to 186, and the number of miscellaneous drilling rigs remained at zero.
The Houston-based oilfield services company reported that the number of land drilling rigs decreased by 20 to 966. The number of inland waters drilling rigs grew by one to four rigs and offshore drilling rigs decreased by two to 21 rigs.
The number of directional drilling rigs decreased by four to 71 rigs, the number of horizontal drilling rigs decreased by 13 to 873 rigs, and the number of vertical drilling rigs decreased by four to 47 rigs.
None of the major U.S. states had increasing number of drilling rigs. The number of drilling rigs in the state of Texas decreased most by nine to 491 rigs. The states of North Dakota and Wyoming decreased by three and two rigs, respectively.
