"I Looked Out the Window — There Was a Ship in My Garden": Cargo Vessel Crashes Near Norwegian Home
Johan Helberg woke up early Thursday morning to something completely unexpected: his backyard view of the fjord had been replaced by the massive side of a cargo ship.
At around 5 a.m., the NCL Salten ran aground in Byneset, a part of Trondheim in central Norway, narrowly missing Helberg’s house by just a few meters.
“I was sleeping soundly, deeply, and then I heard a dinging sound, which I wondered might be my doorbell,” Helberg said. “I thought, who in the world rings the doorbell at 5:45 in the morning? I looked out the window, and my neighbor said: ‘Haven’t you seen the ship?’”
Towering over his property, the ship had missed his bedroom by only five or six yards. “If it had come in at a slightly different angle, it could’ve picked up speed and plowed right into the house,” Helberg said. “It’s completely surreal.”
The police say the crash happened because the officer on duty, who was alone on the bridge, fell asleep. The man, a Ukrainian national in his thirties, admitted during questioning that he had dozed off while steering the ship. He’s now been charged with negligent navigation, and investigators are looking into whether the crew followed rules about working and rest hours.
The NCL Salten, carrying 16 crew members, was traveling southwest through the Trondheim Fjord toward Orkanger when it veered off course.
No one was injured, but attempts to refloat the ship have failed so far. NCL, the company that chartered the vessel, called it a “serious incident” and said they’re working closely with the police and prioritizing a safe rescue operation.
Helberg, a retired museum director, says he’s proud of how calm he stayed. “I impressed myself by staying cool,” he said. “I’ve seen and been through worse.”