Largest boat lift

The biggest mechanical lift for boats and ships is located at the Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze River. It can lift ships of up to 3,000 tonnes in weight, 18 m (59 ft) wide and 120 m (394 ft) long – lifting or lowering them through a vertical distance of 113 m (371 ft) to continue their journey on the other side of the dam.

The system works using a fixed rack of gear teeth stretching the full height of the lift. The basin containing the ships and the water they float in then travels up and down this rack using a helical worm gear. Each traversal takes about 40 minutes.

The lift was designed by German engineering company Lahmeyer, and became operational in November 2016.