May 23 (UPI) -- A Norwegian man was roused by a neighbor in the early morning and alerted to an unusual situation: a cargo ship was in his front yard.
Johan Helberg said he was asleep inside his home in Byneset, on the Trondheim Fjord, when neighbor Jostein Jørgensen rang his doorbell and called his phone to alert him to the fact that a cargo ship had run aground in his back yard.
"If the ship had hit the rocky outcrop right next to it, it would have lifted up and hit the house hard. It only missed by a few meters," Helberg told TV2.
Jørgensen said he woke up just a few minutes earlier to the sound of the boat approaching. He ran outside and attempted to sound the alarm.
Jørgensen said he was surprised to learn Helberg had slept through the incident.
"I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing," Jorgensen said. "And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him."
Bente Hetland, managing director of the shipping company NCL, said officials are investigating what caused the ship to run aground.
"At present time, we do not know what caused the incident and are awaiting the conclusion of the ongoing investigation by the relevant authorities," Hetland said in a statement. "We are currently assessing the damage to the ship."
Hetland said there were no injuries resulting from the incident.
Local police said an initial investigation indicates the officer who was responsible for steering the ship may have fallen asleep at his post.
