A decline in natural gas-directed drilling saw the U.S. rig count fall three units to 750 for the week ended Friday (July 1), according to the latest figures from oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

shale rigs

One oil-directed rig was added domestically for the week, while natural gas-directed rigs declined by four. The combined 750 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 475 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus.

Land drilling declined by four units in the United States week/week, while the Gulf of Mexico added one rig to raise its total to 16. Declines of three horizontal rigs and two vertical rigs were partially offset by a two-rig increase in directional drilling, the BKR data show.

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