This is probably an incredibly stupid, tinfoil-hatted question, but after looking at that damage, could the merchant vessel have intended to hit our vessel?
No, not possible.
Seems intentional by container ship. Were they Muslim? Did they think our ship was from a different nation? Were those on the cargo ship drunk?
Was the container ship containing something illegal, like human slaves?
Maybe but unlikely. Collisions happen all too often, usually due to a failure to maintain a proper watch, serious miscalculation of relative speed and bearing or failure to take proper and effective a avoidance.
The destroyer was struck on her starboard side, her green sector. She may have been the “give way” vessel.
A freighter trying to hit Navy Destroyer would be about as smart as trying to rob a gun store armed with only a knife.
Besides, a Navy Destroyer should have never allowed another ship to be in this position in the first place.