HOUSTON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.5 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending April 29, 218,000 b/d less than the previous week's average, according to a weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

       Refineries operated at 88.4 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data report.

       Gasoline production rose, averaging 9.7 million b/d, while distillate fuel production went down, averaging 4.7 million b/d.

       U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, surged by 1.3 million barrels from the previous week to 415.7 million barrels, about 15 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

       Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 2.2 million barrels last week, about 4 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

       Also in the past week, finished gasoline inventories increased but blending components inventories decreased.

       Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 2.3 million barrels last week, about 22 percent below the five year average for this time of year. Propane/propylene inventories went up by 1.6 million barrels, some 11 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

       Total commercial petroleum inventories increased by 2.6 million barrels last week.

       Total products supplied over the last four week period averaged 19.3 million b/d, down by 2.6 percent from the same period last year.

       Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.8 million b/d, down by 1.7 percent from the same period last year. Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.8 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, down by 8.2 percent from the same period last year.

       Jet fuel product supplied was up 28.2 percent compared with the same four week period last year.