PART B:     NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED

EXHIBIT 17. IMPORTS OF ENERGY-RELATED PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, INCLUDING 
            CRUDE PETROLEUM - JANUARY 1996 - DECEMBER 1997 
            (Details may not equal totals due to rounding.)


           Total energy-related
           petroleum products (1)     C R U D E     P E T R O L E U M

                                                 1,000 of
            Quantity      Value      Quantity    barrels     Value      Unit 
            (1,000 of   (1,000 of    (1,000 of   per day   (1,000 of    price
  Period    barrels)    dollars)     barrels)    (Avg)      dollars)     ($)
                                    
1996                                                       
                                                           
Jan - Dec   3,622,385  70,198,675    2,893,647    7,906   54,930,859   18.98
                                                          
January       306,887   5,196,253      238,990    7,709    3,926,552   16.43
February      252,634   4,181,363      198,120    6,832    3,189,228   16.10
March         255,345   4,543,881      201,663    6,505    3,491,666   17.31
April         297,886   5,861,235      238,198    7,940    4,589,427   19.27
May           323,841   6,273,672      261,641    8,440    4,944,722   18.90
June          309,546   5,636,729      253,014    8,434    4,544,250   17.96
                                                          
July          339,099   6,220,921      275,225    8,878    4,998,154   18.16
August        307,806   5,843,627      250,957    8,095    4,680,889   18.65
September     316,593   6,401,956      260,375    8,679    5,199,747   19.97
October       314,661   6,841,579      250,694    8,087    5,367,469   21.41
November      275,355   5,998,188      216,953    7,232    4,637,834   21.38
December      322,733   7,199,269      247,816    7,994    5,360,919   21.63
                                                          
1997                                                      
                                                          
Jan - Dec   3,793,098  69,121,336    3,061,399    8,387   54,091,331   17.67
January       287,411   6,491,986      216,778    6,993    4,774,598   22.03
February      264,834   5,566,305      206,100    7,361    4,222,377   20.49
March         302,844   5,811,473      233,845    7,543    4,378,508   18.72
April         309,942   5,489,660      249,824    8,327    4,289,441   17.17
May           335,350   5,923,999      270,814    8,736    4,603,533   17.00
June          316,421   5,544,112      257,206    8,574    4,390,152   17.07
                                                          
July          334,066   5,660,722      274,349    8,850    4,527,644   16.50
August        335,274   5,877,456      282,547    9,114    4,787,492   16.94
September     332,822   5,775,046      272,362    9,079    4,553,687   16.72
October       353,413   6,362,605      292,635    9,440    5,166,311   17.65
November      288,222   5,091,887      232,757    7,759    3,986,155   17.13
December      332,498   5,526,084      272,182    8,780    4,411,434   16.21

(1) Details shown for these Energy-Related Petroleum Products are not
    available on a Balance of Payments Basis.  These products include
    the following SITC commodity groupings; crude oil, petroleum 
    preparations, and liquified propane and butane gas.


SOURCE: Report FT900 (CB-98-26), Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade
        Division, DECEMBER 1997.  For more information, contact Haydn R. 
        Mearkle (301-457-2246) or Richard M. Preuss (301-457-2311), 
        Foreign Trade Division.