Increasing activity in the oil patch lifted the U.S. rig count three units higher to 698 for the week ended Friday (April 29), according to the latest figures from oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Activity gains in the United States for the week resulted entirely from oil-directed drilling and also included net increases of two rigs on land and one in the Gulf of Mexico. The 698 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 440 rigs running in the same period last year, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.

Four horizontal units were added overall in the United States for the period, partially offset by a one-rig decline in directional drilling.

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