Fog closes Lake Charles, La., ship channel-pilots

HOUSTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Fog has closed the ship channel to the refining and petrochemical center at Lake Charles, Louisiana, the local pilots organization said.

Four inbound vessels were stalled, but no outbound traffic was affected, an official said. Traffic was halted Thursday by fog, a seasonal problem on the central U.S. Gulf Coast.

The Coast Guard seldom closes ship channels, but a decision by pilots to stop boarding effectively stops oceangoing traffic, Coast Guard officials said. (Reporting by Bruce Nichols)