A trial operation of the world's largest ship lift is underway at the Three Gorges Dam

18 September 2016 saw the start of the official trial operation of the ship lift for traffic passing through China's Three Gorges Dam. With a lifting height of up to 113 m for usable chamber internal dimensions of 120 m x 18 x 3.5 m for ships up to a height of 18 m and 3000 t displacement, it is currently the largest ship lift in the world.

The lift design emerged between 2004-2007, as part of the general planning of a joint venture between KREBS+KIEFER International and LAHMEYER International and in close cooperation with China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), the awarding authority and operator of the dam. From 2008-2013, Chinese companies built the construction under the direction of CTG. Commissioning tests began at the end of 2015, with the first phase being successfully completed on 22 July 2016.

With the move into trial operation, this is not just the largest ship lift in the world; it is also the most technically innovative in its operation of the rope-counterweight principle. The chamber (including equipment and water ballast), counterweights and ropes weigh a total of some 33,000 t. With a net journey time of 22 minutes, the time taken to cross the 2.3 km-long and 185 m-high dam has been significantly reduced.

As part of the joint venture and in addition to their general planning services, KREBS+KIEFER also provided the structural engineering design for the huge construction and chamber, including non-linear seismic design, structural analyses and detailed planning of the built-in components. IRS Stahlwasserbau Consulting AG, part of the KREBS+KIEFER Group, was responsible for planning the chamber gates, longitudinal guidance and rope- counterweight system.