A Cyprus-flagged cargo vessel ran aground metres from a residential property near Trondheim, Norway, on Thursday morning, narrowly missing a homeowner’s house after veering off course in the Trondheim Fjord.
The 135-metre container ship NCL Salten, carrying 16 crew members, was travelling southwest to Orkanger when it ran aground at approximately 05:00 local time in Byneset. The vessel missed Johan Helberg’s house by five metres, according to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
No injuries were reported in the incident, AFP news agency said.
Helberg was alerted to the grounding by neighbour Jostein Jorgensen, who witnessed the ship heading directly towards shore at full speed. Jorgensen said he was awakened by the sound of the approaching vessel and ran to warn his neighbour.
🇳🇴🚢⚓️Norwegian Man Sleeps Through Drama as Giant Container Ship Runs Aground Just Steps from His Fjord-View Home
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 22, 2025
A man in Norway awoke early on Thursday to discover a huge container ship had run aground a stone’s throw from his fjord-side house – and he had slept through the… pic.twitter.com/OnsD1YiFRr
“I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing,” Jorgensen told television channel TV2. “And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him.”
Helberg said he was initially unaware of the incident. “The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don’t like to open,” he told TV2. “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,” he told the Guardian. “Five metres further south and it would have entered the bedroom. I didn’t hear anything.”
The cause of the grounding remains unknown. Norwegian police are investigating the incident.
The NCL Salten previously ran aground in 2023 but was freed under its own power, according to reports.
“It’s a very bulky new neighbour but it will soon go away,” Helberg said.
