YICHANG, Jan. 2 -- The cargo throughput of the five-tier ship lock of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, in central China set a new record last year, the operator of the ship lock said.

The throughput jumped 15.4 percent year on year to a record high of 106 million tonnes in 2013, the Three Gorges Navigation Administration said Thursday in a statement.

The increase in cargo-handling capacity came as the administration boosted the operation efficiency and also reflected the booming water traffic on the Yangtze River, the country's longest, as the economy recovered.

Water traffic is the top choice for cargo transportation in the mountainous Three Gorges area.

The Three Gorges project is a multi-functional water control system, consisting of a 2,309-meter-long and 185-meter-high dam, a five-tier ship lock, and 26 hydropower turbo-generators.

The project generates electricity, controls floods by storing excess water and helps to regulate the river's shipping capacity.