Containers and debris from the Rena wreck are expected to continue washing ashore until at least Thursday.

There are 12 containers already ashore, washed up on either Matakana Island, Waihi Beach or at Bowentown.

Maritime New Zealand beach clean-up crews walk along Omanu Beach searching for debris from the Rena wreck on the Astrolabe Reef. Photo: Daniel Hines.

It was initially thought 200-300 containers were lost overboard when the ship was torn in two pieces during a storm at the weekend, however, this estimate is now revised.

Cargo salvage company Braemar Howells operations manager Claudine Sharp says an assessment shows there are now about 150 containers expected to be in Tauranga waters.

The majority of these are expected to have sunk around the wreck on Astrolabe Reef.

There are 45 known to be floating and these have been identified and attached to buoys or identification beacons.

Any containers to wash ashore are expected to do so at beaches west of Tauranga as far as Mercury Bay.

'The weather conditions continue to be severe and we are expecting this to remain the same until Thursday – this is a very dynamic situation,” says Claudine.

Claudine says some of the identified containers are carrying timber, milk powder and paper and are of little risk to the public.

Timber floating near Leisure Island. Photo: Daniel Hines.

Oil covered foam washed ashore at Omanu Beach. Photo: Daniel Hines.

She says a container carrying tyres also landed on Matakana Island this afternoon.

'There are several debris flows moving into the Port of Tauranga and at the Tauranga Harbour entrance.”

Claudine says the main plan is to salvage the containers through marine assets.

'We want to retain the containers in the ocean, and would prefer for them not to come ashore, however, the weather is working against us at the moment.

'As and when the weather dies down we will be able to recover the containers from the water.”

Braemar Howells is now working to remove containers and debris from Waihi Beach while also tagging and corralling containers at anchor points.

'Teams have been very responsive. We have additional workforce working to remove the containers and debris in Waihi and we had security in place to ensure public safety.

'We are also working with surf life saving clubs all the way up to Whangamata.”

Claudine says the 21 containers carrying cryolite are still expected to have sunk close to the reef and pose little threat to the environment.

'We know where they were and because of their weight we understand they have sunk.”

Cryolite is a bi-product of the aluminium smeltering process and is believed to neutralise and disperse once it comes into contact with water.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee was in Tauranga today, visiting the Incident Command Centre on Cameron Road for the first time in this role.

On inspection of the Rena, Gerry says he has great respect for the people working with the response effort, for Maritime New Zealand, and the people of the Bay of Plenty.

'What the Rena has demonstrated is that it is not an easy fix. To get the best result you need to go about it in a methodological manner.”

MNZ salvage unit manager David Billington says the ship is in the same condition it was in on Sunday, with the exception of a slight list of one to two degrees starboard.

MNZ salvage unit manager David Billington speaking at today's press conference.

Salvors were able to board the forward part of Rena by helicopter late Sunday afternoon, but are unable to land on the ship's stern as weather conditions are making this unsafe.

MNZ salvage advisor Jon Walker says the stern of the ship is pivoting on the reef and if it were to be pushed off, it would sink.

'We do not know how it is going to tip. It's pivoting around on one particular point on the reef.”

He says it is likely the rest of the containers will fall from the ship if the stern is to move off the reef.

If this were to happen, Jon says the plan will still be to salvage all of the containers from beneath the water.

MNZ national on scene commander Alex Van Winjgaarden says a sheen of oil about 3km long can be seen extending from the ship. It is 5-10m wide at places.

He says there are reports of oil washing up on Matakana Island and Waihi Beach and teams are investigating those reports at the moment.

There were five reported oiled penguins this morning, however, Alex says only two were found to be oiled and the other three were released back into their habitats.

MNZ is urging all boaties to be mindful of debris and containers in the water and report any sightings by phoning 0800 333 771.

A trail of dead jellyfish litters Mount Maunganui Main Beach. Photo: Daniel Hines.