Floating cargo

[Arkcon]

If its a tumbling red box of cargo, left by another ship being destroyed, then you can run over it at any speed and it will enter your ship's cargo bays, IIRC.

If its a flashing white pryamid, carefully dropped by a still living ship -- then its a mine, and you don't have to ram it, it will go off when your're close enough. That's more likly what destroyed your ship.

If you dump your own cargo, it flashes white, but still tumbles. This sounds more confusing than it looks.