Ship-Shocked! Norwegian Man Wakes Up to a 443-Foot ‘Neighbor’ in His Backyard After Cargo Vessel Runs Aground

BYNESET, Norway — When Johan Helberg said he wanted a waterfront view, he didn’t expect the waterfront to come to him—complete with a hulking 443-foot cargo ship parked just steps from his house.

In a bizarre maritime mishap that sounds more like a Hollywood plot than reality, Helberg woke up Thursday morning to find the towering bow of the NCL Salten looming over his property in Byneset, Norway, near Trondheim. The massive vessel had run aground in the early hours, missing his home by a mere 16 feet.

A Sleeping Man and a Sleeping Sailor

Remarkably, Helberg slept through the entire incident, only learning of his unexpected new “neighbor” when a frantic neighbor rang his doorbell.

“I went to the window and was quite astonished to see a big ship,” Helberg told The Guardian. “I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal.”

Authorities later revealed the surreal reason behind the ship’s detour into Helberg’s backyard: The officer on watch—a Ukrainian national in his 30s—had fallen asleep at the wheel, allowing the vessel to drift disastrously off course. The officer has since been charged with negligent navigation.

Close Call, But No Major Damage

Miraculously, no one was hurt, and there were no oil spills. The only casualty? A heating pump wire on Helberg’s property, slightly damaged in the incident.

This isn’t the NCL Salten’s first grounding—the ship also ran aground in 2023 but managed to free itself without assistance. This time, however, high tide couldn’t save it. Attempts to refloat the vessel failed, and the Norwegian Coastal Administration is now conducting geotechnical surveys before another attempt.

Helberg Takes It in Stride

Despite waking up to a skyscraper-sized ship in his yard, Helberg remains unfazed.

“It’s a very bulky new neighbor,” he joked, “but it will soon go away.”

For now, the NCL Salten remains an uninvited guest—turning a quiet Norwegian neighborhood into the scene of a real-life maritime mystery.