The accident was the second major maritime disaster in Indonesia in less than a month, following the sinking of MV Sinar Bangun which killed 167 people on 18 June 2018.

The ferry's overdraft condition, absence of a freeing port on the main deck and untied vehicles on board aggravated the situation.

[4] Before the departure, officials in Bira Harbor had warned crews about the possibility of bad weather with high waves, with heights reaching 0.5–2 meters.

Waves reaching 3 metres (9.8 ft) struck the port side of the ferry and managed to enter the main deck through openings in the hull.

A crew member was sent to investigate the situation and discovered that water had entered through the front ramp gate and hull openings.

[14] The Public Relation of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency stationed in Makassar reported that the ferry was carrying 164 passengers, 20 of them were unregistered.

[5] Calculations by the National Transportation Safety Committee showed that the ferry, during its departure from Bulukumba, had a draft of 2.02 metres (6 ft 8 in).

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.

It concluded that the sinking was caused by high waves that entered the ferry due to the low deck height and openings in the hull.

The flooding then caused a free surface effect creating a list to its port side and the eventual capsizing of the vessel.

The Captain managed to prevent the vessel from completely rolling over and sinking by grounding, however, poor crew performance and bad weather led to loss of life.