Oil prices end mixed on U.S. weekly supply report

World crude future prices ended mixed Wednesday after U.S. latest weekly supply fell sharply.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, rose 4 cents to close with 76.35 dollars per barrel.

In London, Brent North Sea crude for September delivery settled down 27 cents at 77.28 dollars per barrel. This contract surged to record 78.64 dollars on Monday after BP shut down its production in Alaska.

The U.S. Department of Energy reported Wednesday that crude supplies for the week ended August 4 fell 1.1 million barrels.

Meanwhile, gasoline stocks dropped by 3.2 million barrels last week, far more than the estimated range of a drawdown between 400, 000 and 800,000 barrels. Distillates supplies, which include heating oil and jet fuel, fell by 200,000 barrels.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said on Tuesday there are adequate supplies to make up for the loss to BP's refineries. Meanwhile, the White House said that Mexico and Saudi Arabia had offered to provide extra supplies.

Source: Xinhua