U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose last week to their highest in about a year and a half as imports increased, even as refiners sharply ramped up output ahead of the summer driving season, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories rose by 5.5 million barrels in the week to April 19, much more than analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for an increase of 1.3 million barrels. At 460 million barrels, crude stocks sit at their highest since October 2017, not including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but are at the five year average for this time of year. Net U.S. crude imports rose last week by 877,000 barrels per day to 7.1 million bpd, the heaviest week for imports since mid-February. […]