Not even a 443-foot cargo ship crashing into his garden could wake this man

With tensions across Europe escalating, most people, particularly Norwegians, are on high alert.

But not Johan Helberg.

When a 10,000-tonne cargo ship veered off course and ended up in his front garden yesterday morning, he didn’t flinch. In fact he didn’t even wake up.

Appearing totally unphased he said: ‘Five metres further south, the ship would have entered the bedroom, and that would have been particularly unpleasant.’

The Cypriot-flagged cargo ship, the NCL Salten was heading through the Trondheim Fjord to Orkanger when it went off course.

Helberg only realised that there was a 443ft vessel in his garden when neighbour Jostein Jorgensen knocked on his door.

Johan told the Guardian: ‘I went to the window and was quite astonished to see a big ship.

‘I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal. Normally ships turn left or right into the fjord.

‘But this went straight ahead. It was very close to the house.’

Jostein isn’t such a heavy sleeper and heard the ship as it crashed onto the banks at full speed.

He said: ‘I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing.’

Thankfully none of the 16 crew members, including Norwegians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Russians, was injured and no oil spills have been reported.

An investigation is now looking into whether there was a technical failure or human error.

Bente Hetland, chief executive of the shipping firm NCL, said there was ‘no reason to believe this was intentional’.

One of the crew who was on the bridge at the time is being held as a suspect.

As for the fate of the ship – efforts can only be made to pull it free when it is high tide.

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