Evert Lataire, head of maritime technology division at the University of Ghent, looked at the the situation and found that the bank effect may have contributed to the grounding. This effect causes the stern of a ship to swing toward the near bank when operating in constricted waterway. Other forces were winds pushing the ship from the side. Since most of the focus of modern ship design is directed towards efficiency and stability at sea, the effects of hydrodynamics in shallow waters need to be studied further. 