Krasnoyarsk ship lift

55°56′20″N 92°17′14″E / 55.9388°N 92.2873°E / 55.9388; 92.2873

The Krasnoyarsk ship lift (Russian: Судоподъёмник Красноярской ГЭС) is a boat lift at the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station on the Yenisei River, located in Divnogorsk, Russia. It is the only boat lift in Russia.

The Krasnoyarsk ship lift was developed by Lenhydroproject, and manufactured by Lengidrostal. Construction began in 1976, and the lift was operational by 1982. The boat lift consists of the outer harbor, the bottom of the approach channel, the lift itself, and a turntable. The platform of the lift moves along an inclined rack railway with a track gauge of 9 m. The lift is propelled by an electric drive.

Ships transported by the Krasnoyarsk ship lift remain afloat. The lift platform contains a caisson, so that boats may simply float into the platform when they wish to traverse the dam. In order to load the ship lift, the platform is partially lowered below the water level and a gate opens. A ship may then float onto the platform, at which point the gate is closed behind the ship, sealing the ship and water onto the platform. The platform then moves up the overpass along its tracks.

At the crest of the hill the rails are built upon, the platform enters a turntable which rotates the platform onto another track heading down the opposite slope of the hill. Following this track the platform is lowered into the upper tail waters of the Krasnoyarsk dam. Once the platform is partially submerged on the other side of the dam, the gate opens again and the ship may leave the lift and enter the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir.