The cargo ship didn't make it to Johan Helberg's doorway, but it came close enough.

"Five metres further south, and it would have entered the bedroom," the Norwegian man told BBC News, describing the proximity of the 135-metre-long NCL Salten that ran aground outside his home in Byneset, Norway, along the Trondheim Fiord, on Thursday morning.

"And that wouldn't have been particularly pleasant."

Helberg told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he'd slept through the whole thing — and a neighbour rang his doorbell to try to get his attention.

The Trondheim Fiord is 130 kilometres long and is Norway's third-largest fiord.

Jostein Jørgensen, who lives nearby, saw the ship as it was headed toward the shore.

"I was half-awake and I heard a boat I thought was passing by, so I just wanted to get up and look out the bathroom window," he told Norway's TV2.

Jørgensen waved his arms and whistled, but it was to no avail.

The ship had 16 people aboard at the time of the crash, according to Norwegian police. No injuries or spills were reported.

Shipping company North Sea Container Line, or NCL for short, said it was co-operating with an investigation into the incident.

In a statement posted online, police said one person has subsequently been charged with negligent navigation. It's alleged that a crew member fell asleep.

"The individual charged was the officer on watch at the time of the incident," prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen said in the police statement.

"During questioning, he stated that he fell asleep while on duty alone, which led to the vessel running aground."

Police do not plan to offer further updates on the investigation over the weekend, according to the statement.

NCL's CEO, Bente Hetland, confirmed to TV2 that the same ship has previously run aground on more than one occasion.

The company's website indicates that NCL provides service across Norway and "a big part of Europe."