BAGHDAD, September 2, 2004 (Reuters) - Iraq's northern oil export pipeline to Turkey has been bombed by saboteurs, dashing government hopes that heightened security along the line may have eased the threat of attacks.

A huge blaze on the pipeline which runs from the Kirkuk oilfields, southeast to the Baiji refinery, and then northwest to Turkey is expected to take two days to extinguish, a fire officer at the scene said on Thursday.

The officer from Iraq's northern oil company fire brigade said it was too early to tell how long it would take to repair the damage from the explosion detonated by saboteurs.

"The explosion was enormous," said Major General Anwar Mohammed Amin, commander of the national guard in the region. A Reuters correspondent said he could see the blaze from Kirkuk, about 70 km (40 miles) away.

Northern exports have been irregular since the U.S. war last year due to repeated sabotage along the route which runs to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

Iraq only last week restored exports at about 600,000 bpd along the line, the first deliveries from its northern fields since the end of May, raising hopes that Baghdad might be thwarting the saboteurs.

Iraqi crude was still being pumped sporadically to Turkey's Mediterranean port earlier on Thursday, but supplies were soon due to be halted as storage tanks at the terminal were nearly full.

More than 7.2 million barrels were in storage at Ceyhan, near capacity of around eight million barrels.

This week trader Vitol lifted the first tanker of Kirkuk crude in three months, bound for its Canadian refinery.

Vitol was due to load a second tanker, Iran Sarvestan, early next week. Portuguese energy firm Petrogal had booked a 135,000 tonne cargo on the Sea Racer from Ceyhan for September 18.

In the south, exports from the Basra terminal were running near capacity at around 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd).

Oil infrastructure security has been largely entrusted to South African contractor Erinys.

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