HOUSTON, Nov. 29 -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.0 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending Nov. 24, 518,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to a weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

Refineries operated at 89.8 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data report.

During the same period, gasoline production fell and distillate fuel production rose, averaging 9.3 million b/d and 5.0 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, surged by 1.6 million barrels from the previous week to 449.7 million barrels, slightly above the five-year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories went up by 1.8 million barrels from the previous week and were some 2.0 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Both finished gasoline and blending components inventories increased last week.

Distillate fuel inventories surged by 5.2 million barrels last week, and were about 11 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Propane/propylene inventories went down by 0.5 million barrels, and were about 17 percent above the five-year average for this time of year.

Total commercial petroleum inventories surged by 2.9 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 20.2 million b/d, down by 1.5 percent from the same period last year.

Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.8 million b/d, up by 2.1 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.9 million b/d over the past four weeks, slightly above the same period last year.

Jet fuel product supplied was up 5.5 percent compared with the same four-week period last year.

  - Xinhua