Washington (Platts)–18Oct2013/323 pm EDT/1923 GMT US exports of refined products rose 15.5% in September year-on-year to an average of nearly 3.7 million b/d — the second-highest level ever, the American Petroleum Institute said Friday. For the third quarter, exports were up 16.5% compared with the same period last year, the API said in its monthly statistical report. Year-to-date, exports were up 8.4% compared to the same period in 2012. The strong exports follows robust refinery gross inputs for the month, quarter and year-to-date. In September, gross inputs rose 6.2% year-on-year to nearly 16.2 million b/d — the highest level for the month of September on record. In the third quarter, inputs were up 4.3% compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date, refinery inputs were up 1.9% compared to the same period in 2012. –Gary Gentile, [email protected] –Edited by Kevin Saville, [email protected]