Cargo ship operator allegedly fell asleep and ran aground, nearly hitting a home in Norway
FILE-Johan Helberg poses next to his house and a 135-meter-long container ship by the shore in Trondheim, Norway, on May 22, 2025, after the ship ran aground almost hitting his house. (Photo by JAN LANGHAUG/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
A cargo ship operator has been charged after he was accused of falling asleep on duty, resulting in the vessel running aground and nearly hitting a home in Norway.
What happened in the ship incident?
Local perspective:
The ship, the NCL Salten, ran aground just before 6 a.m. on May 22. The Associated Press reported that there were no spills reported and none of the 16 individuals on the ship were injured.
According to the AP, images show the ship’s red and green bow only yards from Johan Helberg’s home near the Trondheim Fjord’s coast.
Helberg told a local news outlet that he slept through the whole incident and only awakened when a neighbor was ringing his doorbell.
The AP reported, citing a statement from prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen, that the on-duty navigator, whose identity was not revealed, was the ship's second officer, and he was charged with negligent navigation.
On Monday, ship crews continued to remove containers from the ship so they could be easily removed from the area.
The AP reported that NCL, the shipping company, said it’s cooperating with investigators.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which cited a statement from a prosecutor in the case. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.