Johan Helberg, a private homeowner in Byneset outside of Trondheim, found himself in for quite the rude awakening. A surprise, 135-meter container ship smack into his front yard! Helberg had been living in the house for 25 years. He was mystified when his neighbor knocked on the door that early morning to tell him about the incredible scene developing outside.
So when Helberg went up to the window, he was greeted with a view he says was “super unreal. The loss incurred as the ship moved at an average speed of 16 knots (around 30 km/h). It punctured the shoreline just yards from his home, narrowly avoiding the man’s structure. Helberg recounted the moment with disbelief, stating, “Normally ships turn left or right into the fjord. This went straight ahead.”
Residents—including a neighbor who saw the barge as it hit—were just as shocked by the crash. Luckily, no one was injured by the fire, but Helberg is thankful that he and other pedestrians in the area were not hurt.
The danger became clear when Bente Hetland, a spokesperson for the shipping company involved in the spill, gave a press conference. She noted that “Incidents like this should not happen, and we have started an investigation into the causes. Today, we are relieved that there were no injuries, and our main focus is on the people near the ship and our crew.”
Spokesperson Christian Stokke again did acknowledge that at least one person aboard the ship is a suspect. Federal law enforcement continues to scrutinize this person. However, Hetland emphasized that authorities have “no reason to believe this was intentional.”
The recent incident has sounded alarms over safety and navigation throughout the region. Local residents are right to be asking how a ship of such size ended up so far off course. They’re questioning why it went down into private property.