The mate of the container ship that rammed the Norwegian coast on Thursday had accidentally fallen asleep. The massive 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 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. The vessel narrowly missed the house of the Norwegian Johan Helberg, who was also asleep at the time.
Norwegian police report that several crew members were questioned on Friday. The investigation into the incident is still ongoing. The police are trying to find out how the accident could have happened. For example, they are investigating whether the crew complied with the rules regarding working and resting hours.
In addition to the second mate, the captain is also a suspect in the case. He has not yet been charged.
If the ship had rammed the coast 5 meters further to the right, it would have hit Helberg’s house. “And then my house would look very different now,” the Norwegian dryly remarked earlier.
Helberg was asleep when the cargo ship rammed the coast. He only woke up when a neighbor rang his doorbell in panic. “That was quite bizarre. When I looked out the window, I was looking at a huge ship’s bow,” the Norwegian said.
There were sixteen people on board the ship. They were not injured and no oil leaked from the ship. However, the vessel is still stuck. The Norwegian Coast Guard is responsible for moving the container ship.
