In the Petersen (or van Veen) type of grab, two semicircular buckets of varying sizes are hinged along a central axis. The buckets are held apart for lowering from a ship to the bottom by some form of catch. On striking the bottom, this is released so that on hoisting, the buckets move around on their axis, take a bite out of the sediment, and come together to form a closed container. With this configuration, the rate at which the grab hits the bottom affects the bite, and when the ship is drifting, a poor sample may be obtained if the grab does not hit the bottom vertically.