U.S. crude supplies up, other petroleum data mixed last week

HOUSTON, March 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.6 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending March 11, 224,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to the weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

Refineries operated at 90.4 percent of their operable capacity last week. Gasoline production fell, averaging 9.4 million b/d. Distillate fuel production rose, averaging 4.9 million b/d.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, increased by 4.3 million barrels from the previous week.

At 415.9 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories were about 12 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

During last week, total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 3.6 million barrels and were at the five-year average for this time of year.

Finished gasoline and blending components inventories both decreased last week.

Distillate fuel inventories went up by 0.3 million barrels last week, about 16 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Meanwhile, propane/propylene inventories dropped by 2.2 million barrels, about 25 percent below the five-year average for this time of year. Total commercial petroleum inventories decreased by 3.6 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 21.0 million barrels a day, up by 12.2 percent from the same period last year.

Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.8 million barrels a day, up by 8.6 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 4.2 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, up by 4.6 percent from the same period last year.

Jet fuel product supplied was up 39.3 percent compared with the same four-week period last year.