Ship happens: Man awakes to find 443-foot cargo vessel ran aground in his backyard
Helberg awoke on Thursday to discover the massive bow of the NCL Salten resting a stone's throw from his home in Byneset, Norway, near Trondheim.
The vessel had run aground in the early hours, narrowly missing Helberg's house by approximately 16 feet.
Remarkably, Helberg said he slept through the entire incident. He was only alerted to his unexpected visitor when a concerned neighbor rang his doorbell.
"I went to the window and was quite astonished to see a big ship," Helberg told The Guardian newspaper. "I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal."
Authorities have determined that the ship's watch officer, a Ukrainian national in his 30s, fell asleep while on duty, leading to the vessel veering off course.
The officer has been charged with negligent navigation. No injuries or oil spills were reported, but the incident did cause minor damage to a heating pump's wire on Helberg's property.
And this isn't NCL Salten's first grounding. The ship previously ran aground in 2023, but managed to free itself without assistance.
Efforts to refloat the ship during high tide on Thursday were unsuccessful.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration is conducting geotechnical assessments before making another attempt. Shipping company NCL has stated it is cooperating with the investigation.
As for Helberg, he remains in good spirits despite the unexpected intrusion.
"It's a very bulky new neighbor, but it will soon go away," he quipped.
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