According to China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), the Three Gorges Dam achieved a total cargo throughput of 159 million tons in 2024, the third year in a row that its throughput has surpassed 150 million tons.
The ship lock of the Three Gorges Dam [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The cargo throughput through the ship lock of the Three Gorges Dam hit 154 million tons, while through the ship lift reached 5.03 million tons, reflecting a 5.1 percent year-on-year increase.
More than 26 million tons of essential goods were smoothly transported through the dam in 2024 and, for the first time, the ship lift of Three Gorges served more than 500,000 passengers. The ship lock’s annual cargo throughput has now exceeded 100 million tons for 11 consecutive years.
Maintenance work on the ship lift of the Three Gorges Dam was completed in September, 2024. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The ship lock and ship lift are critical infrastructure for logistics along the Yangtze River, facilitating the smooth transport of hundreds of millions of tons of goods annually. Products such as steel and coal from Sichuan and Chongqing provinces, as well as industrial goods from Hubei and Hunan provinces, are transported through this channel, offering a more cost-effective and efficient way to ship goods.
The stable operation of these facilities has significantly contributed to the collaborative development of industries within the Yangtze River Basin, promoting optimal resource allocation and supporting the high-quality growth of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
On May 8, 2024, a vessel carrying soybeans from Ningbo’s Zhoushan Port, passed through the Three Gorges ship lock. This low-carbon, LNG dual-fuel vessel had made a pioneering voyage from Zhoushan directly to Chongqing, marking the first-ever 10,000-ton river-sea direct service from the coastal region to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Cargo ships pass through a ship lock of the Three Gorges Dam. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
To ensure the continuous stable operation of the dam, CTG has implemented regular maintenance measures. To date, eight scheduled maintenance sessions for the ship lock and four for the ship lift have been carried out.
(Executive editor: Zhu Zeya)
