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

HOUSTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.4 million barrels per day during the week ending Feb. 25, about 153,000 barrels per day 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 87.7 percent of their operable capacity last week with a growing gasoline and distillate fuel production averaging 9.3 million barrels per day (b/d) and 4.7 million b/d respectively, data from the Weekly Petroleum Data report showed.

The country's commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 2.6 million barrels from the previous week. At 413.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 12 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Also in last week, total motor gasoline inventories went down by 0.5 million barrels, about 1 percent below the five year average for this time of year. Finished gasoline inventories increased while blending components inventories decreased last week.

Last week's distillate fuel inventories decreased by 0.6 million barrels, about 16 percent below the five year average for this time of year, while propane/propylene inventories decreased by 0.8 million barrels, some 20 percent below the five year average for this time of year. Total commercial petroleum inventories also decreased by 3.9 million barrels last week.

Over the last four-week period, total products supplied averaged 21.7 million b/d, up by 11.0 percent from the same period last year. Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.8 million b/d, up by 11.0 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 4.3 million b/d over the past four weeks, up by 5 percent from the same period last year. Jet fuel product supplied was up 24.5 percent compared with the same four-week period last year.