Ship chests in multiplayer

I bought the game alongside a couple friends, we started in our own worlds and later joined in one friends session. I had placed all the stuff I collected in 3 chests on my Mirko. It's nothing spectacular but it was a helpful bunch of wood, ores, and stuff found in the small temples in the starting world.

When I joined the chests were empty. However when I destroyed the chests, a bunch of items spawned at the hosts feet. What's the intended behavior of chests in multiplayer?