This is BS from the container ship captain.
If the captain was “so aware” of what was going on...why did he allow his ship to correct course and continue away from the collision site for an another 30 minutes before returning?
He’s just trying to save his butt.
(Yeah, I’m biased and pulling for the U.S. Navy.)
See my post at #42...I smell a whiff of BS too.
After all is said and done, there is one guy who is responsible for this, the OOD, who is the guy responsible for the safe navigation of the ship on his watchsection.
From everything I can see about the collision, a simple maneuver would have avoided all of this - a 90-120 degree turn to port- approximately perpendicular to the merchant's track - while the vessels were 4,000 down to maybe 2,000 yards apart, to rapidly open the distance from the merchant's track, and then continue a 360 degree turn to port back to base course, passing clear astern of the freighter.
It is a simple order from the OOD to the helmsman to turn the ship. You could also increase speed at the same time, but with a bit of forehandedness that would not have been necessary.
One of the shining establishments of the world, in my experience and observation, but this appears to be a dark day.