A man in Norway was met with an unexpected sight when he opened the door of his fjord-side home on Thursday morning- a massive cargo ship had run aground, stopping right at his doorstep
The 135-meter-long vessel missed Johan Helberg’s home by just a few meters. The incident occurred around 5 a.m. local time on Thursday.
People stand near a container ship, which almost hit a house, in Trondheim, Norway, May 22, 2025. NTB/Jan Langhaug/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.
An unbelievable sight
Mr. Helberg only realized what had happened when his panicked neighbor, who had witnessed the ship heading straight toward the shore in Byneset, near Trondheim, alerted him.
“The doorbell rang at an hour I’m not used to answering,” Helberg told TV2.
“I looked out the window and was stunned to see the enormous ship,” he added in an interview with The Guardian. “I had to lean quite far to see the top of it. It was so surreal.”
🇳🇴🚢⚓️Norwegian Man Sleeps Through Drama as Giant Container Ship Runs Aground Just Steps from His Fjord-View Home
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
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 22, 2025
According to the BBC, his neighbor Jostein Jorgensen said he woke up to the sound of the ship barreling toward land and rushed to warn Helberg.
“I was sure he was already outside, but he was still inside the house. I rang the bell multiple times — nothing,” Jorgensen told TV2. “I only managed to reach him by calling his phone,” he added.
No injuries reported
The Cyprus-flagged cargo vessel, NCL Salten, was carrying 16 people and traveling southwest through the Trondheim fjord toward Orkanger when it veered off course. No injuries were reported, according to AFP.
The cause of the incident is still unknown, and Norwegian police are investigating. “He’s a very ‘giant’ new neighbor, but he’ll be gone soon,” Helberg said.
The ship had reportedly run aground once before in 2023 but freed itself.
