Around 200 containers have been washed overboard from the MSC Napoli, which the crew abandoned last week.
The ship has also leaked some 200 tonnes of fuel into the seas along the Devon coast, forming an oil spill five miles long.
It suffered structural damage during Thursday’s storms and Coastguards deliberately beached it off Branscombe to prevent it sinking in deep water.
Coastguard officials said the remaining oil left in the ship’s tanks was their main concern and are pumping it off of the ship, a process that could take up to a week.
The operation is made more difficult by the angle that the ship is sitting at.
Crowds of beachcombers have been salvaging goods washed ashore, however police were advising people to leave the containers alone as some held potentially hazardous contents.
Police have also drafted in extra support to handle the situation.
