HOUSTON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States decreased to 746 this week, down by three from the previous week and up by 83 from last year, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes.
These active drilling rigs included 590 oil rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields, down by two from the previous week; 153 gas drilling rigs, down by one from last week; and three miscellaneous rigs, the same as last week.
The rigs included 731 land drilling rigs, one inland water rigs, and 14 offshore drilling rigs.
Of them, 42 are directional drilling rigs, 692 are horizontal drilling rigs and 12 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.
