A container ship ran aground in Norway, crashing into dwellings in front of a house. The accident occurred while the on-duty navigator was asleep, and it is reported that if the ship had turned just 5 meters more to the right, it could have struck the house.
According to Norway's state broadcaster NRK, on the morning of the 22nd at about 5 a.m. (local time), Joostein Jergensen, who lives in a dwelling along the coast in the Bineset area of Trondheim, woke up after hearing the sound of the ship.
Noticing that the engine noise was unusually loud, Jergensen said, “When I looked out the window, the ship was going straight for the land,” adding, “It was moving fast and showed no signs of changing course.”
Jergensen added that he went outside and tried to shout to alert others, but there was no response.
Around the same time, Johan Helberg also witnessed the container ship approaching in front of his house. Noticing the ship's bow directly in front of the window, Helberg was taken aback and hurried outside, realizing that the ship had slightly come up onto the front yard.
However, it is reported that there was no significant damage, except for the loss of hot water, which affected the heating.
Helberg is reported to have said, “Rather than being scared, it’s funny.”
The ship that struck the dwelling that day was the 11,000-ton container ship 'NCL Saltin,' which is 135 meters long. According to local police and the coast guard’s investigation, the ship was sailing at a speed of about 16 knots (approximately 30 km/h) when it collided with the land around 5:32 a.m.
At the time, the second mate on duty was a man in his 30s, who reportedly fell asleep while working alone.
The police are investigating the second mate on suspicion of operating the vessel negligently.
The Washington Post reported that the vessel ran aground, triggering a landslide, and that the Norwegian Coast Guard is investigating whether the area is safe.