After falling for two consecutive weeks, the oil rig count in the U.S. increased this week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes data on Friday.
The number of oil rigs in the country rose by five for the week ending June 6, the data showed.
This brought the total number of oil rigs in the U.S. to 863, from 858 the week before.
With the increase in oil rig count, crude prices showed slight losses on Friday.
International benchmark Brent crude fell to $77.08 per barrel at 1:15 p.m. EST (1715 GMT), while American benchmark West Texas Intermediate was trading at $73.61 a barrel at the same time.
While the number of oil rigs fell by four last week, it decreased by one in the previous week, which marked the first decline since the week of March 29.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed Thursday that crude oil production in the country fell by 45,000 barrels per day (bpd).
This marked the first weekly decline in U.S.' crude oil production since the week ending Feb. 16, according to the EIA data.
The U.S. crude oil production is expected to average 10.8 million bpd this year, and 11.8 million bpd next year, according to the EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook for June.
By Ovunc Kutlu in New York
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr