HOUSTON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States decreased by 11 to 806 this week, down 276 rigs year-on-year, according to the weekly data released by Baker Hughes on Friday.
According to the Houston-based oilfield services company, these active drilling rigs included 674 oil rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields, down 10 from the previous week; 129 gas drilling rigs, down one from the previous week and three miscellaneous rigs, unchanged from last week.
Of the 806 rigs, 784 are land drilling rigs, down nine from the previous week, 22 offshore drilling rigs, down one, and the only drilling rig for inland waters lost in the week.
Of them, 54 are directional drilling rigs, 702 are horizontal drilling rigs and 50 are vertical drilling rigs.
During the week, the number of drilling rigs increased the most in Ohio by two, to 13 rigs, while Texas lost the most with five to 408 rigs.
The number of horizontal drilling rigs this week decreased the most by eight, down 237 rigs year-on-year.
By far, the Permian basin in western Texas and eastern New Mexico has been the largest source of shale oil production growth in the United States, which has become the engine of supply growth outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in the past years.
