Sleep-Related Accident: Ukrainian Officer Charged After Ship Crashes into Norwegian Garden

Sat Feb 07 2026 01:48:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A Ukrainian watch officer falls asleep on duty, leading to a large container ship crashing into a front garden in Norway, raising safety concerns.

The watch officer of the NCL Salten, a Cypriot-flagged container ship, faces charges of negligent navigation after admitting to falling asleep while steering. The incident has sparked investigations into crew work-hour regulations following the ship’s crash into a garden in Byneset, Norway.

The watch officer of a large container vessel that crashed into a local resident's garden in Byneset, Norway, early on Thursday has reported to authorities that he was asleep during the incident. The Ukrainian national in his thirties has subsequently been charged with negligent navigation as part of an ongoing investigation into adherence to operational and rest-hour regulations aboard the ship.

The NCL Salten, measuring 135 meters (443 feet), narrowly missed a house, coming within mere meters of colliding on a recent voyage through the Trondheim Fjord. Efforts to recover the stranded ship have yet to succeed. According to the district prosecutor, the officer was responsible for guiding the vessel and failed to make necessary course adjustments upon entry to the fjord: "During questioning, he candidly stated that he fell asleep while on duty alone, which resulted in the vessel running aground," stated Kjetil Bruland Sørensen of Trøndelag Police District.

Local outlets reported that the Cypriot-flagged cargo ship was en route from Trondheim to Orkanger at the time of the incident, carrying a total of 16 crew members. The logistics firm NCL, which chartered the ship, deemed the event a “serious incident,” expressing relief that no injuries occurred and committing to a safe and secure salvage operation while cooperating with the ongoing police inquiries.

Johan Helberg, the homeowner who found the ship lodged into his front garden, recounted the surreal moment he gazed out of his window to see the vessel occupying his yard. The ship came alarmingly close to his bedroom, just five meters away. “It was unreal,” he described in an interview. His neighbor, who noticed the impending danger, and his son recounted feelings of terror as the ship veered toward land during the early morning hours.

Reports indicate that this is not the first time the NCL Salten has encountered difficulties; it previously ran aground in 2023 but was freed at the time by its crew. The incident continues to unfold as investigations assess the watch officer's fatigue and compliance with maritime regulations.