Crude oil inventories in the United States saw a large draw this week of 6.195 million barrels, the American Petroleum Institute (API) data showed on Tuesday Reserves in Cushing, Oklahoma fell by 1 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles rose by 700,000 barrels, inventories are roughly 7% less than the five-year average for this time of year. Distillate inventories slipped by 800,000 barrels, according to the reported data. This is on top of the 2.093 million barrel draw in the week prior. Distillate inventories are 17% below their five-year average for this time of year and shrinking. Refinery output is dropping world wide because of the heat wave. Add to that the fact this is the time of year when refineries shut down for maintenance and reconfiguring their stacks to produce winter time gasoline and more heating oil. Refineries operated at 94.7% of their operable capacity last week, while gasoline production slowed, averaging 9.6 million barrels per day. Imports of crude oil in the country averaged 7.2 million barrels per day last week, rising by 476,000 barrels per day. Total commercial petroleum inventories slumped by 7.4 million barrels.