Errymath: Three Gorges Dam

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<b>The elevator can be used by ships weighing up to 3000 tons.</b><br />
The beginning of the trial operation marks the completion of the China 
Three Gorges Project, 22 years after construction began, said Zhang 
Shuguang, assistant general manager of the state-owned corporation 
responsible for the project.<br />
The China Three Gorges Corporation says using the elevator cuts at least
 three hours off the time taken to traverse the lock system that sits 
alongside the dam.<br />
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<img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/NMuCxXHahhGgHHiaMHkLlBlPVkUusTHs4FejCEnmG_E.png" src="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/NMuCxXHahhGgHHiaMHkLlBlPVkUusTHs4FejCEnmG_E.png" /><br />
Image: Krebs und Kiefer<br />
Going up the wall<br />
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<b>The elevator lifts ships directly up the wall of the dam which towers 175m above the water.</b><br />
To use the elevator, the captain sails into its ship chamber which 
contains a pool of water 120m long, 18m wide and 3.5m deep. The chamber,
 the water in it and the lifting mechanisms weigh more than 15,500 tons.
 It takes around an hour for a ship to make the journey up or down the 
dam.<br />
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<b>Concerns over safety</b><br />
The elevator was built by a joint Chinese and German team, with designs 
being refined in the 24 years since the plan was first approved by the 
Chinese government in 1992.<br />
According to Lu Youmei, former general manager of China Three Gorges 
Corporation, the original plan was to suspend the lifting chamber on 
steel cables. This plan was abandoned because of fears that the elevator
 could become unstable while lifting ships.<br />
In 2003, Krebs and Kiefer, the German company involved in the design, 
introduced gear mechanisms instead of cables. This new design reassured 
the authorities that the system would be safe and work resumed on the 
elevator in 2008.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The world's largest shiplift starts trial service at China's Three Gorges Dam on the middle reaches of Yangtze River <a href="https://t.co/YOdTF7cn34">pic.twitter.com/YOdTF7cn34</a></p>— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/XHNews/status/777414846853808128">September 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Photo tour of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China. <a href="https://t.co/VlIT0BAFnI">https://t.co/VlIT0BAFnI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AboutTravel">@AboutTravel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VikingRiver">@VikingRiver</a> <a href="https://t.co/P6SrtjGPpn">pic.twitter.com/P6SrtjGPpn</a></p>— Linda Paull Garrison (@AboutCruises) <a href="https://twitter.com/AboutCruises/status/706877113949888513">March 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FC Maid Agency presents China Opens the World’s Largest Ship Elevator at Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River <a href="https://t.co/NWHWlfcANn">https://t.co/NWHWlfcANn</a></p>— FC Maid (@FCMaidAgency) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCMaidAgency/status/780777453786656768">September 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On a Victoria cruise, in a lock of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. <a href="https://t.co/T0m5akiZan">pic.twitter.com/T0m5akiZan</a></p>— Ching Schueddig (@TranscendGlam) <a href="https://twitter.com/TranscendGlam/status/772906163402924033">September 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_4NI9ilHG_RBgTyxf2yo3fvYruU7fTcSaEoda1BBvC3Y.jpg" height="276" src="https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_4NI9ilHG_RBgTyxf2yo3fvYruU7fTcSaEoda1BBvC3Y.jpg" width="640" /> <br />
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<b>Navigating the upper Yangtze</b><br />
Opening the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to shipping was a key 
target of the China Three Gorges project alongside flood control and 
power generation.<br />
Before the dam was built, it was too dangerous for shipping to navigate 
the upper parts of Yangtze. The river was notorious for its winding, 
shallow and turbulent waters.
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World’s biggest ship lift at the Three Gorges Dam, on the Yangtze River

The elevator can be used by ships weighing up to 3000 tons. The beginning of the trial operation marks the completion of the China T...

Errymath

World’s biggest ship lift at the Three Gorges Dam, on the Yangtze River

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