ONLINE freight forwarder iContainers is urging the container shipping industry to urgently tackle the issue of misdeclared cargo that causes fires aboard ships. The last two years have seen a growing number of serious containership fires linked to shippers misdeclaring hazardous cargoes. The blazes have claimed lives and resulted in hundreds of millions dollars worth of damage to vessels and cargoes. iContainers vice president Klaus Lysdal said that it was imperative the problem was addressed urgently given that vessel sizes are continuing to expand, with the largest containerships now being built with capacities of 24,000 TEU, reported Seatrade Maritime News, Colchester, Essex. "At this point, forwarders are still taking shippers' word for what's loaded in the container. But from a forwarder's perspective, that tends to increase the risk that clients who are not well versed in hazardous cargo and looking to ship it may come to forwarders. This puts the forwarder at risk, especially if the shippers' paperwork is not in order," Mr Lysdal said. "Some of the carriers' initial steps to increase fines may help. But if this persists, it could result in mandatory manual inspections or similar moves to protect against these types of issues. Something like that would obviously lead to additional costs involved with shipping," he warned