have you ever imagined a ship sailing above mountains with China's astonishing ship lifts and canals vessels weighing thousands of tons of Defying Gravity and ascending into the sky something you wouldn't believe unless you saw it yourself but how can a ship weighing as much as a skyscraper be lifted hundreds of feet above the ground what kind of Technology makes this possible time to find out dams are powerful tools for generating electricity controlling floods and storing water but they also create enormous barriers by blocking the natural flow of rivers this wall divides the river into two
distinct sections Upstream where water piles up into a vast Reservoir and downstream where the water level can be significantly lower the result is a dramatic elevation difference between the two sides of the dam ranging anywhere from a few meters to over 100 m depending on the Dam's size and purpose and here's the core issue ships rely entirely on the continuity of the river without a way to Traverse this elevation change the river is effectively split in two bringing Maritime trade and transport to a halt this disruption not only affects cargo movements but also the communities
that depend on River routs for economic and daily activities it turns what should be a seamless journey into a dead end unless there's a solution historically the solution to the problem of elevation differences created by dams was the use of locks locks are essentially giant water-filled Chambers with gates at either end ships enter these Chambers and the water level is either raised or lowered to match the next stretch of the river allowing vessels to continue on their way the use of locks to solve elevation differences in rivers dates back centuries in fact the first Grand
lock we know of was constructed in China during the 10th Century known as the grand Canal's double gate lock but here's the catch locks have their limits especially when it comes to very high elevation differences like those created by modern Mega dams imagine trying to build a staircase that needs to climb the equivalent height of a 30-story building you would need countless steps or in this case a series of multiple locks this becomes impractical for several reasons such as the cost space needed and the time it would take to go through different locks this is
where ship lifts come into play as an elegant and efficient solution unlike locks a shiplift can handle a large elevation change in a single operation imagine an elevator but for massive ships weighing thousands of tons instead of waiting hours to pass through a series of locks vessels can be lifted or lowered quickly saving both time and valuable resources and there's no better example of this than the Colossal Three Gorges Dam shiplift as one of the largest ship lifts in the world it's capable of elevating vessels weighing up to 3,000 metric tons imagine lifting something as
heavy as 500 elephants about the same weight as a small skyscraper 113 M or 370 ft up in the air all in just 40 minutes this makes crossing the height difference created by the dam efficient and surprisingly quick compared to the traditional five-stage lock system which could take 3 to 4 hours this boost in efficiency is crucial for a dam of this size located on the busy yanki River since it's opening in September 2016 it has significantly increased the river's Freight capacity allowing for safer and faster shipping while also cutting shipping costs by 25% this
shiplift is a complex piece of technology with some remarkable specifications the lift chamber itself is like a Giant floating bathtub filled with water measuring 120 M long 18 M wide and 3.5 M deep the entire structure is suspended by 256 ropes each connected to 128 double rope pulleys that balance the lift using counterweights these ropes are anchored to the tops of four massive reinforced concrete Towers each towering 169 M high this intricate combination of counterweights and ropes allows the ship lift to move with the kind of efficiency and reliability needed for such an enormous task
while the Three Gorges Dam shiplift is an impressive engineering Marvel it's not the only large- scale lift redefining River navigation in China another major project pushing the boundaries even further is the gubatan shiplift currently the world's largest shiplift capable of elevating vessels weighing up to 500 tons to a staggering height of 199 M or 653 ft that's taller than a typical 60-story building this impressive capacity makes the gatan lift crucial for enabling smooth River navigation across China's rugged interior its sheer lifting power is key to connecting the woo River with broader economic networks the lift
system consists of not one but three interconnected lifts first vertigal boat lift a variable height lift capable of moving vessels between 72 and 79 M depending on the downstream water levels second vertical boat lift a fixed height lift of 127 M which is the tallest single boat lift in the world Upstream vertical boat lift this lift has a variable descent height of up to 47 m depending on the reservoir water levels the gatan system is designed to be both powerful and fast each of the three lifts has a lifting capacity of 1,800 tons and the
lifting speed is approximately 8 m per minute this means that a 500 ton vessel can be raised or lowered in just 10 minutes but what really sets the gupan shiplift apart is the network of elevated aqueducts and tunnels that connect these lifts spanning a total distance of 2.3 km that's 1.4 miles this elevated Canal system suspended 100 m or 328 ft above the ground is what gives this lift its surreal quality ships quite literally sail above mountains gliding through channels suspended high in the air making it look like the vessels are floating over the landscape
this distinctive feature is one of the primary reasons the gubatan shiplift has gained so much attention with images and video of ships walking on an overpass going viral worldwide the construction of the gupan shiplift was a major Endeavor completed in 2021 at a total cost of approximately 77751 million for that investment China has built a system that doesn't just serve as practical infrastructure but also stands as a symbol of Ingenuity tackling the challenge of River navigation in one of the most mountainous regions of the country up next let's look at how other ships lift around
the world from Russia we have the crnas dam ship lift it's like a giant underwater sled for ships this lift can move ships weighing up to 1,500 tons up and down a height of 101 M or 331 ft here's how it works the ship floats into a large chamber filled with water this chamber then travels along a sloped track kind of like a roller coaster but much slower and steadier it moves at a speed of 1 m/ second which might seem slow but remember it's carrying a whole ship this lift has been helping ships navigate
the yena river since 1976 making it possible for large cargo to travel through areas that would otherwise be blocked by the dam it's an important part of Russia's River trans transportation system and the only one of its kind in the country the next one is the strapo boat lift Belgium might be a small country but it's home to one of Europe's tallest boat lifts lifting boats up to 73.1 15 M this impressive structure can carry boats weighing up to 1,350 tons what makes this lift truly special is how it connects two important river basins making
it much easier for big ships to travel across Belgium before this lift was built ships had to navigate through a series of old small canals today they can take a quick elevator ride instead saving enormous amounts of time and energy it's a perfect example of how modern engineering can revolutionize Transportation now if you're looking for something that seems straight out of a sci-fi movie The ferk Wheel in Scotland is a mustsee it's the world's only rotating boat lift and it's as fascinating as it sounds instead of just going up and down like a typical elevator
this lift spins like a giant Ferris wheel for boats it ingeniously connects two canals that are 35 M apart in height before the wheel was built boats had to pass through 11 different locks a process that could take almost an entire day now thanks to this Marvel of engineering the same Journey takes just a few minutes the the ferk wheel isn't just incredibly useful it's also a spectacular sight to behold it's become a major tourist attraction drawing over 50,000 visitors each year perhaps the most amazing part is that despite its enormous size it uses very
little power to operate about the same amount of energy as boiling eight kettles of water in the United States or still USA is setting its sights on constructing a brand new shiplift system in in Mobile Alabama once completed it will be the largest shiplift on the Gulf Coast and the widest in both North and South America this ambitious project aims to lift vessels weighing over 18,000 long tons which will significantly enhance the ship building and repair capabilities in the region this shiplift will serve as a vital piece of infrastructure for handling larger vessels boosting both
commercial and defense related maritime operations in Australia the Darwin shiplift project is Making Waves as an important new addition to the country's Maritime infrastructure representing a $215 million investment this facility will have the capability to lift vessels up to $5,500 tons located in Darwin this shiplift will support a wide range of activities from commercial ship repair to Naval maintenance once completed it will be the largest ship lift in Northern Australia lifting ships that weigh thousands of tons to incredible Heights might seem like magic but it's all thanks to some very clever engineering the key to
lifting these enormous ships lies in something called a counterweight system imagine an elevator but for ships just like an elevator in a building the shiplift balances the weight it's carrying with giant counterweights when the ship enters the water filled chamber kind of like a big bathtub the weight of the chamber stays the same whether it's just water or a ship plus water this is thanks to Archimedes principle which means that the chamber is always perfectly balanced making it easier to lower or lift large electric motors and gearboxes provide the push needed to overcome friction and
get things moving for instance the three gorgees Dam shiplift uses four Motors each producing 320 k wats of power adding up to 1,280 KW in total that's the kind of power you need to lift something as heavy as a skyscraper the chamber where the ship sits is connected to the counterweights with a series of Steel cables and massive pulleys for example of the Three Gorges Dam there are 256 cables at work each one strong enough to support 460 tons these cables help move the chamber up and down down smoothly just like the cables you see
in a normal elevator but much bigger and stronger to keep everything running smoothly and make sure the ships are positioned just right these lifts use Advanced Computer Systems these systems manage all the small details ensuring that the lift moves at the right speed stops in the right place and stays level even if there are changes in water levels or wind conditions so that concludes today's video and if you want to learn about one of the most important locks in the United States check out our video about the Sue locks in Sous St Marie and the
mega project aimed at preventing a potential $1 trillion disaster now if you like dams check this video about the most expensive and largest dam removal in US history the clouth river dam removal thank you for watching and see you in the next one
