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

U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.9 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending March 18, 27,600 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 91.1 percent of their operable capacity last week. Both gasoline and distillate production increased last week, averaging 9.8 million b/d and 5.0 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 2.5 million barrels from the previous week. At 413.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories were about 13 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 2.9 million barrels last week, almost unchanged from the five year average for this time of year. Finished gasoline inventories increased while blending components inventories decreased last week.

Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 2.1 million barrels last week, about 17 percent below the five year average for this time of year, while propane/propylene inventories increased by 0.3 million barrels, some 23 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Total commercial petroleum inventories went down by 6.7 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the last four week period averaged 21.0 million barrels a day, up by 11.7 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 4 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 4.3 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, up by 8.6 percent from the same period last year. Jet fuel product supplied was up 43.7 percent, compared with the same four week period last year.