'A bulky new neighbour’: Man in Norway stunned as huge container ship crashes into his front garden
A man in Norway woke up to discover a huge container ship had ploughed into his front garden.
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The crash happened at around 05:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Thursday.
The 135m-ship (443ft) container ship narrowly missed Johan Helberg's house by metres.
Mr Helberg told television channel TV2: "The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open.
🇳🇴🚢⚓️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 went to the window and was quite astonished to see a big ship," he told The Guardian.
"I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal."
Mr Helberg said he only found out about the crash after his neighbour alerted him.
The ship is understood to have run aground previously in 2023 but was able to free itself.
Neighbour Jostein Jorgensen said he was woken up by the commotion as the ship headed at full speed towards land and towards Mr Helberg's house.
Mr Jorgensen said: "I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing."
He told TV2: "And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him."
The NCL Salten Cypriot-flagged container ship had 16 people on board.
It was reportedly travelling south-west via the Trondheim Fjord to Orkanger when it diverted from its path.
No one was injured in the incident.
It is not yet known what caused the crash but investigations by the Norwegian force are underway.
Mr Helberg said: "It's a very bulky new neighbour but it will soon go away."
