It is learnt that by Nov.6, 2016 the Three Gorges ship lifter has safely operated for more than a month. During the period, 253 ships have got the qualifications for getting over the dam by “super elevator”. The Three Gorges Navigation Authority expects eagerly that more ships can enjoy such convenience.
The Three Gorges ship lifter, also hailed as the “super elevator”, lifts vertically at a speed of 12 meters per minute after ships sail into the cabin to climb over about 100-meter water height from the downstream to the upstream of the Three Gorges Dam, according to relevant design information. Compared with the old way — climbing over the dam through five-level ship locks step by step, it is a much faster way for ships to get over the dam since it saves lots of time. Meanwhile, the ship lifter imposes stringent requirements for ships to take the “super elevator”.
The Three Gorges Navigation Authority has carried out the authentication work of seaworthy ships since the beginning of September to qualify more ships to take the “super elevator”. With the help of ship database in the navigation dispatching system, the authority sorted out 1,000 eligible ships from all those going through the Dam in recent years. And relevant ships and companies were informed by phone calls, GPS messages and navigation information broadcasts of submitting their ship stem line graphs so that the ship lifter designing department can issue qualifications after checking.
The Three Gorges Navigation Authority said 253 qualified ships have been arranged to take the “super elevator” preferentially on the precondition of meeting the requirements of draught and displacement.
It is also hoped that the rest eligible ships can submit their stem line graphs as soon as possible. (Correspondents Zhang Yijun and Liu Min)