Crude inventories fell by 6.7 million barrels in the week to June 25 to 452.3 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 4.7 million-barrel drop.
Brent rose 12 cents, or 0.2pc, to $75.31 a barrel by 12:28 p.m. EDT (1628 GMT), after earlier rising to $75.78. U.S. crude slipped 1 cent to $73.07 a barrel, after hitting a session high of $73.61 earlier.
The wide Brent-Dubai price spread deterred Asian buyers from purchasing more Atlantic Basin oil priced off Brent and capped spot premiums of regional grades.
Petroleum Brunei has sold its Kimanis crude cargo loading in early June at $1.10 a barrel above dated Brent, while ConocoPhillips sold its cargo likely to Ampol at a premium of $1.30 a barrel, a trader said.
Monthly export figures are provided by Riyadh and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).
Some 96.6 million tonnes (1.9 million barrels per day) are expected to be loaded via ports and exports to China are seen remaining stable at 40 million tonnes.
