The number of containers handled by Nantong port rose by 14.1 per cent to 97,000 TEU in the first quarter of the year, according to statistics from the Nantong port authority.

During this period, the volume of cargo passing through Nantong port increased by 22.2 per cent over the first three months of 2006 to 30.06 million tons, reports Xinhua news agency.

Terminal operators in Nantong were all said to have recorded growth in the first quarter of 2007. The Nantong Port Group handled 13 million tons of cargo, representing an increase of 40 per cent over the same period last year.

In 2006, Nantong port handled more than 100 million tons of cargo, the report added.