Yichang, July 1st (Guo Xiaoying, Cao Chuanyang, Wu Xinyi) The statistics of the Three Gorges Navigation Administration Bureau show that from January to June 2025, the throughput of the Three Gorges枢纽 reached 83.077 million tons, an increase of 10.4% year-on-year.

Ships pass through the Three Gorges ship lock and ship lift in an orderly manner. Photo by Peng Qiang

The Three Gorges ship lock and the Three Gorges ship lift are permanent navigation structures of the Three Gorges hydraulic枢纽工程. Working together, they form a navigation pattern of 'large ships climbing stairs, small ships taking elevators', playing an important role in promoting shipping development and reducing shipping costs.

According to statistics, in the first half of 2025, the Three Gorges ship lock operated 5205 times, with 19,121 ships passing through, with a throughput of 81.606 million tons, an increase of 13.52% year-on-year. The Three Gorges ship lift transported 289,000 passengers, an increase of 17.33% year-on-year. The Three Gorges navigation ensured the passage of 21.077 million tons of civilian goods and 64.5 thousand tons of key emergency goods over the dam.

Ships are navigating between the two dams. Photo by Lin Hai

This year in the first half of the year, the Three Gorges Navigation Administration Bureau, in the situation where the incoming water in the reservoir area was less than in the past, flexibly allocated resources, recommended the issuance of reasonable ship dynamic draft control standards, pre-adjusted the 'ship rolling pre-plan', guided shipping companies to reasonably load, and took advantage of the large flow window period of the power station peak regulation to疏散 large draft ships in a timely manner, avoiding congestion and delay, achieving an increase in navigation efficiency and the smooth operation of the Yangtze River waterway logistics channel, and maintaining a continuous harmonious and stable navigation environment.

According to the introduction, the navigation management department implements 24-hour full-process dynamic tracking and supervision of ships passing the dam. This year, in the first half of the year, safety warnings were issued 48 times in a timely manner for strong winds, thick fog, and severe convective weather, temporary traffic control was implemented for nearly 225 hours, and multi-disciplinary joint water rescue and disposal were carried out with departments such as maritime affairs, fire, and public security on both sides of the dam, creating a 59-kilometer emergency response circle and strengthening the safety defense.