Sleeping Officer Sends 443-Foot Container Ship Crashing Into Norwegian Yard

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I can’t believe my luck – or misfortune, rather! It turns out that a massive container ship somehow found its way into my front yard! The reason? The watch officer must have dozed off during his shift, causing the ship to veer off course. Quite an unexpected encounter, don’t you think?

It’s not unusual for automobiles or trucks to collide with homes or businesses every now and then, but a homeowner in central Norway was taken aback when he found a whole ship in his backyard at 5 AM.

Looking out from his house situated along the Trondheim Fjord, the homeowner shared that he needed to tilt his head back to catch a glimpse of the 135 meter-high (or approximately 443 feet) vessel.

“It was so unreal,” he said in a statement to The Guardian.

Ship crashes into unsuspecting homeowner’s garden as officer falls asleep

On a stormy day in May, as I navigated my gaming world, I found myself at the helm of a mighty ship known as the NCL Salten. This seafaring titan sailed under the banner of Cyprus and was crewed by 16 brave souls like me. We were journeying southwest through the Fjord, bound for Orkanger, when an unexpected gust caught us off-guard, causing our course to veer off its intended path.

Following an investigation by the police, it emerged that the on-duty watchman at Salten’s, a gentleman in his thirties hailing from Ukraine, dozed off during his work hours, leading directly to the subsequent incident.

According to officials from the Trøndelag Police District, it was the person in charge who was involved in the incident. They also mentioned that during interrogation, this individual admitted to falling asleep during their shift, causing the boat to run aground.

It was found that the man had been accused of careless boat handling, and authorities are also examining the guidelines concerning work hours and required rest for the crew. Under Norwegian legislation, infractions related to entering Norway’s territorial waters can lead to a financial penalty or incarceration for up to a year.

Despite the fact that the ship narrowly missed his house by just five meters, as reported by the BBC, its owner, Johan Helberg, managed to see the funny side of the situation.

“It’s a very bulky new neighbor, but it will soon go away,” he said to local news outlet TV2.

His son shared similar feelings, stating, “I wasn’t sure if it was a dream since it was 5 in the morning and it felt so unreal.

Interestingly, it’s not a new occurrence – this specific container ship had previously run aground in 2023 too. However, the crew managed to refloat it afterwards.

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2025-05-23 23:01