U.S. crude supplies down, other petroleum data mixed

HOUSTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.3 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending Aug. 19, 168,000 b/d less 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 93.8 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the weekly petroleum data report.

During the same period, gasoline production went down and distillate fuel production went up, averaging 9.4 million b/d and 5.2 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 3.3 million barrels from the previous week to 421.7 million barrels, about 6 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories virtually unchanged from the previous week, some 7 percent below the five year average for this time of year. Finished gasoline inventories increased but blending components inventories decreased last week.

Distillate fuel inventories declined by 0.7 million barrels last week, about 24 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Propane/propylene inventories virtually unchanged from last week, about 11 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Total commercial petroleum inventories surged by 1.4 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the last four week period averaged 20.0 million b/d, down by 4.7 percent from the same period last year.

Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.9 million b/d, down by 7 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.9 million b/d over the past four weeks, down by 2.3 percent from the same period last year. Jet fuel product supplied was up 7.3 percent compared with the same four week period last year.