Three Gorges ship lift marks 7th anniversary of operation
2023-09-25 20:09:00
By Chen Si, Yichang International Communication Studio
This year marks the seventh anniversary of operation for the Three Gorges ship lift.
The Three Gorges ship lift began trial operations in 2016. Since then, big ships have been able to "climb the stairs,” and small ships to "take the elevator,” referring to the two ship lifting methods at the Three Gorges hub.
Over the past seven years, a total of 24,000 ships, 864,000 passengers and 14.173 million tonnes of cargo have passed through the ship lift on the left bank of the Three Gorges Dam. Together with the five-tier ship lock on the other side, it has fully realized the transportation potential of the golden waterway of the Yangtze River.
The Three Gorges ship lift has a total length of about 7,300 meters. The operational compartments are 120 meters long and 18 meters wide, and the lifting weight reaches 15,500 tonnes, which can quickly lift a 3,000-tonne ship over the dam.
Up to now, it is the largest ship lift in the world in terms of construction scale and technical difficulty.
Over the seven years of operation, the Three Gorges Ship Lift Management Office has utilized new scientific and technological advancements designed for increased safety and efficiency.
The equipment downtime rate has dropped from 11.37 percent at the beginning of trial operation to 0.6 percent at present, and the average ship crossing time has been shortened from 75 minutes to less than 50 minutes.
In addition, the novel experience of "rising 113 meters over the rift valley in 50 minutes" has attracted tourists from all over the world. In 2023, after the resumption of the tourism industry across China, about 320,000 travelers have passed through the ship lift from January to August.
This year marks the seventh anniversary of operation for the Three Gorges ship lift.
The Three Gorges ship lift began trial operations in 2016. Since then, big ships have been able to "climb the stairs,” and small ships to "take the elevator,” referring to the two ship lifting methods at the Three Gorges hub.
Over the past seven years, a total of 24,000 ships, 864,000 passengers and 14.173 million tonnes of cargo have passed through the ship lift on the left bank of the Three Gorges Dam. Together with the five-tier ship lock on the other side, it has fully realized the transportation potential of the golden waterway of the Yangtze River.
The Three Gorges ship lift has a total length of about 7,300 meters. The operational compartments are 120 meters long and 18 meters wide, and the lifting weight reaches 15,500 tonnes, which can quickly lift a 3,000-tonne ship over the dam.
Up to now, it is the largest ship lift in the world in terms of construction scale and technical difficulty.
Over the seven years of operation, the Three Gorges Ship Lift Management Office has utilized new scientific and technological advancements designed for increased safety and efficiency.
The equipment downtime rate has dropped from 11.37 percent at the beginning of trial operation to 0.6 percent at present, and the average ship crossing time has been shortened from 75 minutes to less than 50 minutes.
In addition, the novel experience of "rising 113 meters over the rift valley in 50 minutes" has attracted tourists from all over the world. In 2023, after the resumption of the tourism industry across China, about 320,000 travelers have passed through the ship lift from January to August.
