Iraq suspended Tuesday shipments of Kirkuk crude oil into the Turkish Mediterranean export terminal of Ceyhan for unknown reasons, a Middle East Shipping agent said.

The pipeline to Ceyhan was pumping around 20,000 barrels an hour, or 480,000 barrel a day, before the stoppage which started 0300 GMT Tuesday, the agent said. "The flow is still halted up to now."

The northern oil pipeline is the second Iraqi oil export outlet pumping an average of 350,000 barrels a day. Iraq exports the bulk of its crude oil from southern oil terminals at the Persian Gulf, pumping around 1.6 million barrels a day.

A vessel is currently loading 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude at Ceyhan, the agent said. When the vessel finishes loading Wednesday morning, some 370,000 barrels would remain in storage, he added. "The vessel will deliver a million barrel each to ExxonMobil Corp (XOM) and Valero Energy."

Another ship is expected to start loading a million barrel early Wednesday for Italy's ENI SpA (E), he said.

Northern Iraq oil flow has been intermittent in recent weeks. Iraqi oil officials had previously blamed the stoppage on power cuts and lack of crude oil production.

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