A cargo ship ran aground and nearly crashed into a Norway doorway

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The cargo ship didn't make it to Johan Helberg's doorway in Norway, but it came close enough.

Norwegian police say 1 man has been charged with negligent navigation in wake of incident

Geoff Nixon · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 7:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Johan Helberg of Norway stands in front of a cargo ship that ran aground near his home.

The cargo ship didn't make it to Johan Helberg's doorway, but it came close enough.

"Five metres further south, and it would have entered the bedroom," the Norwegian man told BBC News, describing the proximity of the NCL Salten that ran aground outside his home in Byneset, Norway, along the Trondheim Fiord, on Thursday morning.

"And that wouldn't have been particularly pleasant."

Helberg told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he'd slept through the whole thing — and a neighbour rang his doorbell to try to get his attention.

The Trondheim Fiord is 130 kilometres long and is Norway's third-largest fiord.

A startling sight while 'half-awake'

Jostein Jørgensen, who lives nearby, saw the ship as it was headed toward the shore.

"I was half-awake and I heard a boat I thought was passing by, so I just wanted to get up and look out the bathroom window," he told Norway's TV2.

WATCH | Seeing the ship go aground:

Cargo ship runs aground — and narrowly misses a Norwegian home

A cargo ship, the NCL Salten, ran aground early Thursday near Trondheim, in southwestern Norway. A neighbour who saw the incident unfold spoke to a Norwegian reporter about his fruitless effort to alert the crew.

Jørgensen waved his arms and whistled, but it was to no avail.

The ship had 16 people aboard at the time of the crash, according to Norwegian police. No injuries or spills were reported.

Shipping company NCL said it was co-operating with an investigation into the incident.

In a statement posted online, police said one person has subsequently been charged with negligent navigation. It's alleged that a crew member fell asleep.

"The individual charged was the officer on watch at the time of the incident," prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen said in the police statement.

"During questioning, he stated that he fell asleep while on duty alone, which led to the vessel running aground."

Police do not plan to offer further updates on the investigation over the weekend, according to the statement.