World’s largest ship lift to go on trial in the Three Gorges Dam

Aerial view of the Three Gorges Dam ship lift (file photo)

World’s largest ship lift in the Three Gorges Dam in central China is to enter its trial stage on September 18.

The Three Gorges ship lift that was completed in May this year is a kind of elevator for vessels that can lift ships of up to 3,000 tons. The vertical distance traveled is 113 meters. The ship lift takes 30 to 40 minutes to transit, as opposed to the three to four hours for stepping through the locks.

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, in central China's Hubei province. It is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity.

The Three Gorges ship lift is the last project remains unfinished in the Three Gorges Dam project. The team building the project encountered the utmost technical difficulties. It took them 21 years in total to finish the ship lift.

From September 18, all qualified vessels can take the ship “elevator” to go through the Three Gorges Dam and save some 180 minutes in their travel time.