The German Insurance Association (GIA) believes many container vessels have outdated fire systems, according to Seatrade Global.

Speaking at The International Marine Insurance Union (IMIU) conference, GIA said that most fires could only realistically be put out by firefighter ships, rather than any onboard systems.

He said: "Fire protection systems have not yet realised that cargo is now transported in containers, as it has been for the last 30 or 40 years. Crews do not have the systems to fight fire."

Mr Schindler also said he knew of five cargo fires that occurred on container vessels this year. He referenced the MSC Flaminia incident last year - a fire onboard took five weeks to extinguish.

Few ships, he argued, have been fitted with advanced systems to cope with fires, including the likes of being able to flood holds or utilise walls of water to partition anything above deck.

He asked the industry to install these modern features and, if they didn't, claimed hull insurers would have to "stand by and pay out claims".