The sinking of MV Acita 03 occurred on the night of 18 October 2007 when a ferry carrying 174 passengers and crews accidentally capsized during its docking in Baubau, Southeast Sulawesi.

[1] Investigation conducted by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee concluded that the main cause of the accident was due to the improper loading of the passengers and crews.

During its docking to Baubau, one side of the ferry was overly crowded with passengers who were searching for phone signals, causing it to capsize.

Harbor officials in Tomia Island, Wakatobi Regency had not calculated the ferry's draft, even though it was mandatory.

At the time, the ferry was only 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) off its destination, Jembatan Batu Harbor, which was located on Lakeba Beach.

They then began to search for phone signals to inform their relatives or friends to pick them up at the harbor.

On the early morning of 19 October, officials announced that 125 passengers and crews had been evacuated from the site.

A search area with a radius of 7 miles (6.1 nmi; 11 km) from the location of the disaster was made.

Statements collected from the operator of the ferry revealed that they had chosen this type of hull due to its efficiency.

The decision to modify the deck into a passenger area was due to high demands in the region.

As many of the people in the area were poor, most of them couldn't afford to board ferries with stricter safety rules.