HOUSTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States exported more crude oil and petroleum products than it imported during the week ending Nov. 30, showing a longer-term trend of declining imports of crude oil and increasing exports of petroleum products and crude oil, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.
According to EIA, it was the first time for the country to export more crude oil and products than it imported in weekly data dating back to 1991.
From Nov. 24 to Nov. 30, the United States exported an estimated record 3.2 million barrels per day of crude oil as well as an estimated 5.8 million barrels per day of petroleum products such as distillate fuel oil, motor gasoline and propane, according to EIA.
In recent years, U.S. crude oil production has increased, setting a record of 11.5 million barrels per day in September, while U.S. crude oil imports have decreased.
After averaging a record high of 10.1 million barrels per day in 2005, gross crude oil imports fell to an average of 7.3 million barrels per day in 2014. Since then, annual crude oil imports have increased slightly, most recently averaging 8.0 million barrels per day in 2017.
At the same time, U.S. refinery runs have been at record highs. The increase in refinery output of petroleum products has outpaced growth in U.S. consumption of petroleum products, leading to an increase in petroleum product exports.
