Cargo Ship Crashes Into Man’s Yard After Crewman Allegedly Falls Asleep

Imagine waking up and seeing a cargo ship the size of a city block parked outside of your window.

That’s what Johan Helberg found outside his home in Byneset, a village on Norway’s Trondheim Fjord, when a 440-foot vessel ran aground just after sunrise. The ship, NCL Salten, plowed onto the shore and stopped a few yards from Helberg’s bedroom window. He didn’t even hear it happen.

“I was sleeping soundly, deeply, and then I heard a dinging sound, which I wondered might be my doorbell,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “I looked out the window, and [my neighbor] said: ‘Haven’t you seen the ship?’”

The neighbor, Jostein Jørgensen, had seen the whole thing unfold and ran over to ring Helberg’s bell. “I was sure he’d come outside, but no,” Jørgensen said. “So, I called him and told him he had a visitor.”

Cargo Ship Crashed Into Man’s Yard After Crewman Fell Asleep, Police Say

Helberg wasn’t the only one in a deep sleep. Police later said the officer guiding the ship admitted he’d fallen asleep while manning the ship. Both the captain and the officer—identified as a Ukrainian man in his 30s—have now been charged. Prosecutors say the officer acknowledged the facts, though he hasn’t admitted criminal guilt.

The crash didn’t cause injuries or oil spills, but officials stressed the situation could’ve been far worse. “The potential for serious damage was huge,” said prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen, noting the risk to both the crew and people onshore.

Attempts to refloat the ship at high tide failed Thursday. NCL, the company that chartered it, said it was working with coastal authorities and the ship’s Polish owner to figure out next steps. “This is a serious incident, and we are grateful that nobody was injured,” NCL CEO Bente Hetland said in a statement.

Helberg has his own theory about what went wrong. He said ships need to make two course adjustments to safely enter the fjord. “The Salten adjusted once—but not twice,” he said.

Despite the surreal sight outside his window, he kept calm. “I impressed myself by staying cool,” he said. “I’ve seen and been through worse.”

But now there’s a new problem: traffic. So many curious onlookers have been driving into Byneset to gawk at the grounded ship that police had to bring in help from Trondheim Parking to manage it.

“I understand that people are curious,” Helberg said. “But I think it’s a bit much when they come all the way to the door and start looking in the windows.” He noted that most visitors have been respectful and that police have since set up barricades to keep things under control.

For now, the Salten is still wedged in place, turning Helberg’s backyard into a temporary boat slip and tourist attraction.