Container ship runs aground on man’s front lawn, narrowly missing his home

A Norwegian man awoke to discover that a cargo ship had run aground and narrowly missed crashing into his home. (Source: TV2 NORWAY, Associated Press)
Published: May 23, 2025 at 10:06 AM CDT|Updated: 8 hours ago
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OSLO, Norway (AP) — A Norwegian man awoke to find that a cargo ship had run aground and narrowly missed crashing into his home along the Trondheim Fjord’s coast.

Johan Helberg told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he’d slept through the whole thing and only woke up when a neighbor started ringing his doorbell.

The container ship NCL Salten is seen next to Johan Helberg's house, after the 135-meter-long...
The container ship NCL Salten is seen next to Johan Helberg's house, after the 135-meter-long ship ran aground almost hitting it, in the Trondheimsfjord outside Byneset, in Trondheim, Norway, Thursday May 22, 2025.(Jan Langhaug | Jan Langhaug/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Images show the ship’s red and green bow just meters (yards) from Helberg’s house. He told NRK the only damage was to a heating pump’s wire.

Authorities say they received reports that the NCL Salten had run aground shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday. No injuries or oil spills were reported.

Efforts to refloat the ship at high tide were unsuccessful Thursday.

Shipping company NCL said in a statement it was aware of police statements saying they had one suspect. The company said it was cooperating with the investigation.

A police spokesperson could not immediately be reached Friday.