Watch officer of ship that crashed into garden fell asleep, police say

The watch officer of a large container ship that ran aground and crashed into a garden in Norway has told police he was asleep at the time of the incident.

Investigators said the man, a Ukrainian national in his thirties, admitted to falling asleep while on duty on his own.

He has been charged with negligent navigation and police are also investigating whether rules regarding working and rest hours were adhered to on board the vessel.

The 135m-ship (443ft) missed a house by metres when it ran aground on Thursday morning in Byneset, near Trondheim, central Norway. Efforts to refloat it have been unsuccessful so far.

“The individual charged was the officer on watch at the time of the incident,” the prosecutor in Trøndelag Police District said in a press statement.

“During questioning, he stated that he fell asleep while on duty alone, which led to the vessel running aground,” Kjetil Bruland Sørensen added.

Local media reported that the man was in charge of steering the ship but failed to change course when entering the Trondheim Fjord.

No one was injured in the incident.

The Cypriot-flagged cargo ship, the NCL Salten, had 16 people on board and was travelling south-west through the Trondheim Fjord to Orkanger when it veered off course.

Logistics company NCL, which chartered the ship, said this was a “serious incident” and it was grateful no one was harmed.

“This remains an ongoing rescue operation and our highest priority is to ensure a safe and secure salvage operation,” the company’s statement said, adding that it was assisting police with their investigation.

Johan Helberg, who owns the property the ship nearly crashed into, described the moment he looked out of his window and saw it in his front garden.

“I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal,” he said in an interview with the Guardian.

Mr Helberg said he was “astonished” to see the ship in front of his house and that it was “five metres” away from entering his bedroom.

“It’s a very bulky new neighbour but it will soon go away,” he told Norwegian television channel TV2.

He was alerted to the commotion by a panicked neighbour who heard the sound of the ship and watched as it headed straight for shore.

The neighbour’s son said the experience was “terrifying” and his father screamed when he saw the ship.

“I didn’t know if I was dreaming because it was five in the morning and it was so surreal,” Bard Jorgensen told the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme.

It seemed like the vessel was going to “directly” hit the house, Mr Jorgensen said, adding that he was relieved to know his neighbour was unharmed.

According to reports, the ship had previously run aground in 2023 but crew managed to free it using its own power.