Cargo ship crashes into Norwegian garden, narrowly misses house

In Norway, a man named Johan Helberg woke up to a surprising sight – a massive container ship had run aground and crashed into his front garden, narrowly missing his house by a few meters. The incident occurred around 05:00 local time on a Thursday morning. Helberg was alerted to the unusual event by his concerned neighbor, who witnessed the ship veering towards the shore in Byneset, near Trondheim. “The doorbell rang at a time when I prefer not to answer,” Helberg shared with TV2. Peeking out of his window, he was shocked to see the enormous ship looming before him. “I had to crane my neck to see the top of it. It felt surreal,” he added in an interview with the Guardian. “If it had moved just five meters more to the south, it would have crashed into the bedroom,” Helberg disclosed to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Despite the magnitude of the crash, he mentioned not hearing anything. Helberg’s neighbor, Jostein Jorgensen, was awakened by the noise of the ship hurtling towards land at full speed. Concerned for his neighbor’s safety, Jorgensen rushed to Helberg’s house. “I thought he must be outside already, but no, there was no movement. I rang the doorbell repeatedly, but there was no response,” Jorgensen recounted to TV2. It was only after calling Helberg that he managed to make contact. The Cypriot-flagged cargo ship, NCL Salten, with 16 crew members on board, was en route from Trondheim Fjord to Orkanger when it deviated off course. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The cause of the crash remains unknown, with Norwegian authorities conducting an investigation. “It’s an unexpected new addition to the neighborhood, but it will be gone soon,” Helberg remarked about the ship. The managing director of NCL expressed gratitude that there were no injuries, calling the incident a serious one. “We are awaiting the findings of the ongoing investigation by the relevant authorities to determine the cause,” said managing director Bente Hetland. Reports indicate that the ship had previously grounded in 2023 but managed to free itself without assistance.