HOUSTON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States stood at 780 this week, down by four from the previous week and up by 204 from last year, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes.
These active drilling rigs included 625 oil rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields, down by two from the previous week, 153 gas drilling rigs, also down by two from last week, and two miscellaneous rigs, the same as last week.
The rigs included 760 land drilling rigs, two inland water rigs, and 18 offshore drilling rigs.
Of them, 46 are directional drilling rigs, 708 are horizontal drilling rigs and 26 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.
