The U.S. rig count held essentially flat for the week ended Friday (June 4), dropping one unit overall to fall to 456, including a small net decline in the Permian Basin and a small uptick in the Haynesville Shale, according to data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

rig count June 4

Oil-directed drilling went unchanged week/week in the United States, while the total number of natural gas-directed rigs dropped by one to 97. The combined 456 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 284 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR figures, which are based in part on data from Enverus.

The Gulf of Mexico saw a net decrease of one rig to fall to 13 for the week, in line with year-ago levels. Directional rigs declined by two overall, while vertical rigs increased by one.

The Canadian rig...