The marine insurance industry has called for stronger action to avoid fires on container ships – an issue that is causing growing concern.According to the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), there were nine major cargo vessel fires in 2019 which resulted in loss of life, injury and environmental damage.These fires had a strong economic impact, causing high costs to both the hull and cargo sectors. According to Helle Hammer, chair of the IUMI’s policy forum, fire-fighting capabilities onboard containerships are deficient and more is required to improve the safety of the crew, the environment, the cargo and the ships themselves.“Mis- and non-declaration of cargo have serious safety implications and are the root cause of these tragic incidents. There is agreement among experts that the current means of controlling a fire in the cargo hold are of little effect. Local marine insurance experts say with vessels getting bigger and more cargo being transported than ever before the industry can no longer remain idle.“This is an issue that affects the entire maritime industry,” said Mike Brews, director at Horizon Underwriting Managers. “Worldwide there have been far too many losses in the marine market. Companies have become complacent about the rates being charged and there has been a lax approach to how risk is underwritten. In this industry we need to understand that when the losses come they are massive and the costs to the insurance industry exceptionally high.”