Giant Cargo Vessel Grounds Itself Near Norwegian Home

In the early hours of May 22,2025,a colossal cargo ship measuring 135 meters found itself lodged on the shore in byneset,close to Trondheim,Norway. The Cyprus-registered vessel, known as NCL Salten, strayed off its intended path and came to a halt just seven meters from johan Helberg’s wooden cabin.

The incident unfolded around 5:00 am local time while the ship was navigating through Trondheim Fjord on its way to Orkanger. It was cruising at about 16 knots when it unexpectedly ran aground.

Fortunately, all sixteen crew members aboard—including a Norwegian captain and sailors from Russia and Ukraine—were unharmed. Remarkably, there were no reports of oil spills or environmental damage following the grounding.

Helberg,who is retired from his role as a museum director,was fast asleep with his partner during this unusual event.he only learned about the situation when his neighbor Jostein Jorgensen rushed over after witnessing the ship barreling toward land at high speed.

Initially puzzled by an early morning doorbell ring that interrupted his sleep, Helberg hesitated to answer until he received a phone call from Jorgensen alerting him that something strange was happening outside. When he finally peeked out of his window, he was greeted by the sight of this enormous red and green container ship looming right next to his home.Jorgensen had thought Helberg might already be outside due to the commotion caused by the approaching vessel. He described how he woke up startled by loud noises and hurried over in disbelief upon realizing what was happening.

Helberg later recounted how surreal it felt; he had to stretch his neck just to catch a glimpse of the top of NCL Salten from inside his house. The ship has an notable capacity for carrying up to 862 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) but managed only minor noise and damage as it scraped against rocks and seaweed while coming ashore.

Authorities have launched an investigation into this incident with one suspect already identified for questioning; though, there’s no indication that this grounding was deliberate. Initial evaluations point towards either technical malfunction or human error as potential causes for what transpired.

Interestingly enough, officials also discovered a clay landslide approximately 100 meters wide near where NCL Salten came ashore—likely triggered by vibrations caused during its abrupt stop. Safety measures have been implemented around the area for public protection while recovery efforts are underway aimed at refloating the stranded vessel.

In lighthearted fashion amidst such chaos, Helberg mentioned that crew members briefly reached out from above but didn’t delve into details about their predicament.He humorously referred to their new “bulky neighbor,” expressing hope that it would soon be on its way again.NCL has acknowledged this incident seriously in their official statement expressing gratitude that no injuries occurred during this mishap.Bente Hetland—the CEO—assured full cooperation with ongoing investigations into what whent wrong here despite similar issues faced previously by NCL Salten back in 2023 when it also ran aground but managed self-rescue without external help.