Credit to: donvictorio / Shutterstock.com In this issue of the Skuld Charterer, Skuld will be looking into liability issues arising in connection with misdeclared container cargoes from a charterer's perspective. The article discusses the potential liability towards owners for misdeclared container cargoes, and provides recommendations and practical advice to reduce the risk of misdeclaration. Following the fire onboard the  ULCC Maersk Honam  in 2018, the US based National Cargo Bureau (NCB) in 2019 conducted a survey of over 500 containers, in a year that also saw several major container vessel fires. NCB survey results showed that more than half of the containers failed with one or more deficiencies, 69% of the import containers containing dangerous goods and 38% of the export ones. With a global container trade reaching 206.8m TEU in 2021 (up 6.3% year-on-year) despite the Covid-19 pandemic and frequent port congestion conditions, the risk of a serious casualty on a container vessel is permanent and raises concerns. Incidents involving misdeclared or undeclared cargoes range from simple customs fines to major casualties involving pollution, wreck removal and/or crew injuries, all liabilities which charterers may be exposed to. Of all the information which is misdeclared, either purposely or not, this article focuses on the risk of wrongfully declared weight or the nature of the cargo itself. Weight misdeclaration After several serious incidents involving vessel stability and loss of containers at sea due to misdeclared container weights, this issue was finally considered by the IMO in the SOLAS Chapter VI Reg 2. Important changes to SOLAS regarding container weight verification (VGM) came into force on 1 July 2016. Shippers of a packed container are now obliged to provide a verified container gross weight (VGM) to the carrier and terminal prior to loading and unless these requirements are met the container shall not be loaded and carried. Smuggling of