The number of containers handled at Mina Zayed port in Abu Dhabi during 2011 rose 47 per cent year-on-year to 767,713 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units), said a report.

The volumes at the port tripled from 250,000 TEU in 2006 to more than 767,000 TEU last year, Martijn Van De Linde, CEO of Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) was quoted as saying by the Gulf News report.

"The growth so far has been impressive, but the most exciting years are still ahead of us and we are now working hard on preparations for the opening of the new container terminal at Khalifa Port," he said.

When the new terminal opens in the fourth quarter of 2012, it will be the region's first semi-automated container terminal, he added.