The number of oil rigs in the U.S. decreased to 825 for the week ending April 18, according to data released by oilfield services company Baker Hughes on Thursday.
The oil rig count, which is an indicator of short-term oil production in the country, fell by eight to 825 this week, from 833 the previous week.
Despite this decline, the number of oil rigs in the U.S. has remained steady compared to a year ago when the count totaled 820, Baker Hughes data shows.
Because of the Easter weekend, the weekly oil rig count data was released one day earlier than normal on Thursday, and resulted in gains for both benchmarks.
International benchmark Brent crude closed Thursday up 0.46% at $71.95 per barrel, while American benchmark West Texas Intermediate closed at $64 a barrel with a 0.38% gain.
Although the Energy Information Administration (EIA) data released Wednesday shows a decrease in crude oil production in the country of 106,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 12.1 million bpd (mbpd) for the week ending April 12, output still remains near record highs.
By Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr