A 10,000 cargo ship crashed into Johan Helberg’s home in Norway but the sound of the collision did not even wake him up – the huge vessel was metres away from destroying his house
A 10,000 tonne cargo ship crashed into a man’s front garden but the huge impact was not enough to wake him up from his sleep. Johan Helberg woke up to the shocking sight of a huge cargo ship wedged into his garden, just metres away from destroying his home.
The unusually calm Norwegian homeowner said: “Five metres further south, the ship would have entered the bedroom, and that would have been particularly unpleasant.” The extraordinary crash happened when a Cypriot-flagged NCL Salten cargo ship – travelling from the Trondheim Fjord to Orkanger – unexpectedly went off course and hit the property at around 5am local time. Although the 135 metre vessel crashing into his garden did not wake him up, Johan said he only realised when his neighbour called him.
The homeowner said he was “quite astonished” when he eventually saw the enormous cargo ship pushed into his garden. Johan told the Guardian: “I went to the window and was quite astonished to see a big ship.
“I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal. Normally ships turn left or right into the fjord. But this went straight ahead. It was very close to the house.”
Neighbour Jostein Jorgensen isn’t as much of a heavy sleeper and the sound of the vessel crashing into the garden at full speed woke him up immediately. Jostein 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.
“And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him.” Johan added: “The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don’t like to open.”
None of the 16 crew members, which included people from Norway, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Russia, on board were injured in the scary collision. Thankfully no oil spills were reported after the crash.
Officials have launched an investigation into whether a technical failure or human error was behind the vehicle going off course. The chief executive of the shipping firm NCL, Bente Hetland, said there was “no reason to believe this was intentional.”
He added: “At present time, we do not know what caused the incident and are awaiting the conclusion of the ongoing investigation by the relevant authorities.”
One crew member is said to currently be held by police as a suspect. The ship has remained lodged into the garden as authorities have to wait until a high tide to try and get the boat away from Johan’s home.
Johan added: “It’s a very bulky new neighbour but it will soon go away”