Locally there have been reports of containers floating off the coast near Kiama and Port Kembla.

A NSW Maritime spokeswoman said that was the same container and that tugs and salvage crews had were sent to the Illawarra on Thursday to locate and remove it.

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There were also reports of items washing ashore at Corrimal Beach but nothing was seen there on Wednesday night or on Thursday.

"NSW Maritime has had two field units checking for debris on beaches between Stanwell Tops and Crooked River at Gerroa since 7am on Thursday," the spokeswoman said.

" At midday, no debris had been found in these locations."

So far, reports of items being found washed ashore have been from northern Sydney beaches all the way up to Newcastle.

Overall 40 containers fell from the APL England off the Illawarra coast on Sunday morning - 21 of them empty.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority General Manager of Operations Allan Schwartz said an inspection of the ship at the Port of Brisbane had revealed that lashing arrangements for cargo were inadequate and securing points on the deck were heavily corroded.

He said the ship owner and its insurer, Steamship Mutual, were expected to take full responsibility for the impacts of this incident.

"We're pleased to hear news today that the insurer is engaging contractors to retrieve some of the floating containers," Mr Schwartz said.