The U.S. natural gas rig count dropped one unit to finish at 153 for the week ended Friday (March 10), while a slowdown in the Permian Basin helped drop the combined domestic tally three units to 746, according to updated figures from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

rigs

Along with the loss of one natural gas rig, domestic declines for the period included two oil rigs. Land drilling declined by one rig, with two rigs exiting the Gulf of Mexico for the week. Declines of three directional rigs and two vertical rigs were partially offset by a two-rig increase in horizontal drilling.

The combined 746 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 663 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus. The U.S. rig count has now fallen...