Increased activity in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale helped push the U.S. rig count nine units higher to 512 during the week ended Friday (Sept. 17), according to the latest data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

baker hughes rig count shale

A 10-rig increase in oil-directed drilling offset a one-rig decline in natural gas-directed rigs in the United States for the period. The 512 combined active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 255 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.

Land drilling increased by eight units overall for the week, while one rig was added in inland waters. In the wake of Hurricane Ida, the Gulf of Mexico rig count continued to languish at only four rigs, a fraction of pre-storm levels. Five horizontal rigs were...