Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Rig Summary

The U.S. natural gas rig count added one unit to reach 70 for the period ending Friday (Aug. 14), while continued declines in the oil patch saw the overall domestic count slide for the week, according to updated figures from oilfield services (OFS) provider Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Driven by another week of attrition in the Permian Basin, four oil-directed rigs exited the patch in the United States. That left the combined U.S. tally at 244, down 691 units from the 935 rigs active in the year-ago period.

Land drilling fell by five units, while one rig was added in the Gulf of Mexico and another in inland waters, according to BKR. An increase of one vertical rig partially offset the departure of four horizontal units.

The Canadian rig count gained seven units overall to...