Crude oil exports from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries are expected to be much lower in the second week of May, according to new shipping data.

The data released late last week by Oil Movements, a tanker tracking consultancy based in Halifax, England, suggest OPEC exports for the week ending May 16 will be down by 200,000 bpd from export volume for the week ending May 9.

On April 23, Oil Movement reported exports for the week-ended May 9 would be down just 60,000 bpd. The new data suggests OPEC plans to cut output more sharply than in previous weeks.

Although U.S. propane supplies this past winter were below the average for the previous five years, retail propane prices in New England and in the Middle Atlantic dropped below those of the previous winter due to hedging and fixed prices for consumers, the Energy Information Administration reported last week.

The nation’s total supply of propane was 59 million bbl at the end of September 2008, a lower-than-usual inventory level due to low imports, high petrochemical use and production interruptions from hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Supplies were the lowest in the New England region, with inventories 22 percent below the five-year average at the end of September.