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

HOUSTON, July 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.4 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending July 1, 228,000 b/d less than the previous week's average, according to a weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday.

Refineries operated at 94.5 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data report.

During the same period, both the gasoline and distillate fuel production surged, averaging 10.3 million b/d and 5.4 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, went up by 8.2 million barrels from the previous week to 423.8 million barrels, about 10 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories declined by 2.5 million barrels, about 8 percent below the five-year average for this time of year, while finished gasoline inventories rose and blending components inventories fell.

Distillate fuel inventories dropped by 1.3 million barrels last week, about 20 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Propane/propylene inventories went up by 0.9 million barrels last week, about 16 percent below the five-year average for this time of year. Total commercial petroleum inventories also rose by 5.1 million barrels.

Over the last four-week period, total products supplied averaged 20.0 million b/d, down by 4.4 percent from the same period last year.

Motor gasoline product supplied averaged 9.0 million b/d over the past four weeks, down by 5.5 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.9 million b/d over the past four weeks, down by 5.3 percent from the same period last year.

Jet fuel product supplied was up 15.0 percent compared with the same four-week period last year.