HOUSTON, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States fell to 696 this week, down by 15 from the previous week and by 16 from last year, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes.
These active drilling rigs included 555 oil rigs operating in U.S. oil fields, down by 15 from the previous week; 137 gas drilling rigs, unchanged from last week; and four miscellaneous rigs, the same as last week.
The rigs included 674 land drilling rigs, two inland water rigs, and 20 offshore drilling rigs.
Of them, 52 are directional drilling rigs, 628 are horizontal drilling rigs and 16 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.
