Trondheim

Addressing the court in Trondheim on Friday, Judge Espen Haug said the case was "very serious" and described Bye's actions as "absolutely unacceptable".

Local media reported that the man was in charge of steering the ship but failed to change course when entering the Trondheim Fjord.

Mr Helberg was only alerted to the commotion by his panicked neighbour who had watched the ship as it headed straight for shore, in Byneset, near Trondheim.

The platform is currently in a fabrication yard at Verdal near Trondheim, Norway and is due to be lifted onto a barge and towed into place in the next few months.

He visited a woman with more severe learning disabilities, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Trondheim.