The massive container ship rammed the Norwegian coast on Thursday because the mate had fallen asleep. The ship narrowly missed a house on the coast. The mate has been charged with negligence.
The suspect is a thirty-year-old man from Ukraine, according to Norwegian police. He was the second mate on board during the voyage.
During the police interrogation, the mate admitted that he had fallen asleep during his shift. As a result, the massive container ship rammed the coast near the city of Trondheim. It narrowly missed the house of Norwegian Johan Helberg, who was also asleep at the time.
Norwegian police report that several crew members were questioned on Friday. Investigation into the incident is still ongoing. The police are trying to determine exactly how the accident could have happened. For example, they are investigating whether the rules regarding working and resting hours on board the ship were observed.
In addition to the second mate, the captain is also a suspect in the case. He has not been charged yet.
Ship Still Stuck in Norwegian Coast
If the ship had rammed the coast 5 meters further to the right, Helberg’s house would have been hit. “And then my house would look very different now,” the Norwegian dryly remarked earlier.
The man himself was also asleep when the freighter rammed the coast. Helberg only woke up when a neighbor rang his doorbell in panic. “That was pretty bizarre. When I looked out the window, I was looking at a huge ship’s bow,” he said.
There were sixteen people on board the ship. There were no injuries and no oil leaked from the ship. However, the ship is still stuck. The Norwegian Coast Guard is responsible for moving the ship.