In pics | Norwegian man wakes up to find huge container ship crashed into his garden
Edited By Prajvi Mathur
Published: May 23, 2025, 20:13 IST | Updated: May 23, 2025, 20:13 IST
The 135 metre ship missed local resident Johan Helberg’s house few metres when it crashed into his front garden.
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(Photograph:AFP)
Man wakes up to find container ship in garden
A Norwegian man woke up to find a huge container ship had crashed into his front garden after it ran aground. The cargo vessel, the NCL Salten, was entering the Trondheim fjord on its way to the western town of Orkanger just before 5 am on Thursday (May 22) when the incident happened.
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(Photograph:AFP)
Ship misses house by few metres
The 135 metre ship missed local resident Johan Helberg’s house few metres when it crashed into his front garden. He was alerted to the incident by his panicked neighbour Jostein Jorgensen, who woke up from the sound of the ship as it headed straight towards the shore in Byneset at full speed. “The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open,” Helberg told television channel TV2.
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(Photograph:AFP)
‘So unreal’
“I went to the window and was quite astonished to see a big ship. I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal,” Helberg, who has been living in the house for 25 years, told the Guardian. “Normally ships turn left or right into the fjord. But this went straight ahead. It was very close to the house.”
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‘Didn’t hear anything’
“Five metres further south and it would have entered the bedroom,” he added to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. “I didn't hear anything.”
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Neighbour ‘rang doorbell many times’
Helberg’s neighbour, Jorgensen, told TV2, “I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing. And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him.”
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Investigation underway
The Cyprus-registered ship had 16 crew members onboard. The police are conducting an investigation into the incident. One suspect has been identified, according to the Guardian. There were no injuries reported.
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Ship remains stuck
The ship remained stuck aground as the first attempt to remove it was not successful. Another attempt will be made later in the evening during high tide. Reportedly, the ship had previously run aground in 2023 but was removed under its own power.
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Shipping company’s statement
The shipping company, North Sea Container Line’s chief executive, Bente Hetland, said there was “no reason to believe this was intentional”. “Incidents like this should not happen, and we have started an investigation into the causes. Today, we are relieved that there were no injuries, and our main focus is on the people near the ship and our crew,” she added.
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