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

HOUSTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.4 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending March 17, 21,000 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 88.6 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data Report.

During the same period, both the gasoline and distillate fuel production went up, averaging about 9.5 million b/d and 4.5 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, rose by 1.1 million barrels from the previous week to 481.2 million barrels, about eight percent above the five year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories fell by 6.4 million barrels from the previous week, and were about four percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Both the finished gasoline and blending components inventories went down last week.

Distillate fuel inventories dropped by 3.3 million barrels last week, and were about nine percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Propane/propylene inventories decreased by 2.3 million barrels last week from the previous week, but were 37 percent above the five year average for this time of year.

Total commercial petroleum inventories fell by 10.4 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the past four week period averaged 19.7 million b/d, down by 6.2 percent from the same period last year.

Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.8 million b/d, down by 0.2 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.8 million b/d over the past four weeks, down by 12.7 percent from the same period last year.

Jet fuel product supplied was up 6.7 percent compared with the same four week period last year.