A peaceful morning in a small Norwegian village took a shocking turn when a large cargo ship unexpectedly ran aground in a resident’s front yard.
The 135-meter vessel, NCL Salten, veered off course early Thursday morning and ended up just meters away from a house in Byneset, near the city of Trondheim.
The ship was sailing through the Trondheim fjord toward the town of Orkanger when the incident occurred around 5 a.m. It was moving at a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour when it suddenly left its route and headed straight toward land. It missed crashing into the house by a narrow margin but caused a dramatic scene that left residents stunned.
Johan Helberg, the homeowner, was asleep when the vessel arrived in his yard. He was awakened by a neighbor ringing his doorbell, and when he looked outside, he saw the massive bow of the ship looming just outside his window. The unusual sight left him in disbelief, especially since the ship towered over his house.
The cargo vessel is registered in Cyprus and had 16 crew members on board, including nationals from Norway, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Russia. Fortunately, no one was injured, and there were no signs of oil leaks or other environmental damage.
Local police have launched an investigation to determine what went wrong. One crew member has been identified as a suspect, but authorities say that’s a standard part of the process. They are exploring several possibilities, including equipment failure and human error.
The ship’s operator, North Sea Container Line (NCL), confirmed the investigation and said the suspect’s identification was part of normal procedure. The company’s CEO stated that while they do not believe the incident was intentional, they are taking the matter seriously and have begun their own internal investigation.
This rare and unexpected event disrupted the calm of the local area but ended without any major harm. The situation now moves into the hands of investigators to find out how such a large ship ended up so far off course and nearly crashed into a home.