FOG BLOG WORLD NEWS LOG: BOAT RUNS AGROUND AND BLOCKS FREIGHTERS IN THE SUEZ CANAL:

You know those local traffic reports you hear sometimes on the radio? Imagine what you'd be hearing if your local radio station was at the Suez Canal. One day you hear there's a ship blocking both lanes of one of the world's most important trade routes. And the next day, the radio tells you the blockage is still there. A container ship the length of four football fields ran aground and turned sideways. More than 100 other ships are caught in the bottleneck. NPR's Jackie Northam is covering this story. Jackie, good morning.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: How did this happen?

NORTHAM: Well, it's still unclear exactly what happened. One analyst I spoke with said, often, when these very large ships are navigating through narrow waters, their propellers create a current which can tug, pull them to the side. You know, also, there was a ferocious sandstorm at the time with very high winds. And it's thought the captain and the crew had poor visibility. The bow of the ship became stuck in the bank. Its stern kept moving. And now it's sitting sideways across the canal. And that has stopped traffic on this vital shipping route.