Number of active U.S. drilling rigs down this week

HOUSTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States stood at 749 this week, down by four from the previous week but up by 99 from last year, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes.

These active drilling rigs included 592 oil rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields, down by eight from the previous week, 154 gas drilling rigs, up by three from last week, and three miscellaneous rigs, up by one from the previous week.

The rigs included 732 land drilling rigs, one inland water rigs, and 14 offshore drilling rigs.

Of them, 45 are directional drilling rigs, 690 are horizontal drilling rigs and 14 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.