Exports of crude oil from Iraq 's northern Kirkuk oil fields are on hold for the seventh day running, a Middle East shipping agent said Thursday.

"There is no pumping from Kirkuk since last Friday," the shipping agent told Dow Jones Newswires.

Five vessels are at anchor waiting to be loaded, he said.

Iraqi oil officials weren't available to comment on the cause of the flow stoppage.

Iraq normally exports an average of 300,000 to 350,000 barrels a day but sabotage to the pipeline over the last few months, has reduced the flow. Last month, Iraq exported 273,000 barrels a day via the pipeline, which is less than the average due to damage to the pipeline by unknown attackers.

The Iraq-Turkey pipeline that carries crude from Kirkuk oil fields to Ceyhan has frequently been attacked, sometimes in Turkey but mostly in Iraq . The pipeline was idle for many years due to acts of sabotage after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

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