Calculations by the National Transportation Safety Committee showed that the ferry, during its departure from Bulukumba, had a draft of 2,02 meters.
The acceptable draft for a ferry prior to its departure is 1.75 meters, meaning that the ferry, at the time of the departure, was over weight.
The National Transportation Safety Committee revealed that there were openings located on the starboard stern and port side stern of the ferry, one of which was only 0.7 meters above the waterline.
Due to being over weight and the low height of the openings in the ship, waves reaching 3 meters could easily enter the ferry.

Examination of the wreckage was carried out and revealed that there were only 4 scuppers on the main deck of the ferry and there was no freeing port.
A scupper is meant to drain the water in small volumes, while a freeing port is used for larger volumes of water.
Due to the limited amount of scuppers and the absence of a freeing port, the water on the deck wasn't able to drain quickly or effectively.
The deck gradually began to collect a significant amount of water and a free surface effect occurred, causing the ferry to list to port.
The untied vehicles located on the upper deck aggravated the listing.

The investigation also revealed that the vessel involved in the sinking was actually a converted 10-tonne cargo vessel.
During its modification process, the owner and surveyor of the vessel did not believe that a freeing port was necessary.
The Ministry of Transportation should have prevented the vessel from being certified for passenger service.
Further investigation revealed that the Ministry had instructed the vessel be modify to confirm with regulations but the dispatcher in Makassar deemed the vessel to be safe.

Investigators discovered that the crew had never been trained on how to deal with an emergency situation.
During the evacuation, many passengers panicked and immediately jumped into the sea without life jackets.
The crew lacked the skills for crowd control and were unable to safely evacuate the passengers effectively.
The competency certificate of the Captain and the crew was also deemed "unsatisfactory" by authorities.
Calculations by the National Transportation Safety Committee showed that the ferry, during its departure from Bulukumba, had a draft of 2,02 meters. The acceptable draft for a ferry prior to its departure is 1.75 meters, meaning that the ferry, at the time of the departure, was over weight. The National Transportation Safety Committee revealed that there were openings located on the starboard stern and port side stern of the ferry, one of which was only 0.7 meters above the waterline. Due to being over weight and the low height of the openings in the ship, waves reaching 3 meters could easily enter the ferry.
Examination of the wreckage was carried out and revealed that there were only 4 scuppers on the main deck of the ferry and there was no freeing port. A scupper is meant to drain the water in small volumes, while a freeing port is used for larger volumes of water. Due to the limited amount of scuppers and the absence of a freeing port, the water on the deck wasn't able to drain quickly or effectively. The deck gradually began to collect a significant amount of water and a free surface effect occurred, causing the ferry to list to port. The untied vehicles located on the upper deck aggravated the listing.
The investigation also revealed that the vessel involved in the sinking was actually a converted 10-tonne cargo vessel. During its modification process, the owner and surveyor of the vessel did not believe that a freeing port was necessary. The Ministry of Transportation should have prevented the vessel from being certified for passenger service. Further investigation revealed that the Ministry had instructed the vessel be modify to confirm with regulations but the dispatcher in Makassar deemed the vessel to be safe.
Investigators discovered that the crew had never been trained on how to deal with an emergency situation. During the evacuation, many passengers panicked and immediately jumped into the sea without life jackets. The crew lacked the skills for crowd control and were unable to safely evacuate the passengers effectively. The competency certificate of the Captain and the crew was also deemed "unsatisfactory" by authorities.
MV Lestari Maju