Three Gorges ship lift traffic surpasses 2 million passengers
2025-08-16 20:08:10
By Yan Wanqin.
By August 15, 2025, the Three Gorges ship lift had carried more than 2 million passengers, according to the Three Gorges Navigation Authority.
By August 15, 2025, the Three Gorges ship lift had carried more than 2 million passengers, according to the Three Gorges Navigation Authority.
A cruise ship passes by the Three Gorges ship lift. Photo by Wang Gang.The ship lift began trial operations on September 18, 2016, forming a joint navigation pass with the Three Gorges locks. Large ships "climb the stairs" via the locks, while smaller vessels "take the lift.”
To date, it remains the largest ship lift in the world in terms of construction scale and technical complexity.
Since trial operations, the ship lift has reached several milestones. It took 89 months to surpass 1 million passengers in February 2024, but only 19 more months to reach 2 million, setting a global record for similar projects.
A bird view of the Three Gorges ship lift (on the right) and the five-tier Three Gorges Ship Locks (on the left). Photo by Wang Gang.The Three Gorges Navigation Authority has implemented new technologies over the years to enhance safety and efficiency.
As of now, about 30,000 ships have passed through the Three Gorges ship lift since 2016, transporting a total of 19 million tons of cargo.
Liu Yue contributed to this story.
