KUNMING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- A hydraulic shiplift independently invented by China started operation at Jinghong hydropower station on the Lancang-Mekong river on Sunday.

A passenger ship with a length of 20.1 meters and width of 4.1 meters traversed the dam at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. It was the first ship that passed the dam since the shiplift began trials on November 15.

The shiplift is designed to help ships with a maximum displacement of about 500 tonnes to pass the dam. The maximum hoisting height of the elevator is 66.86 meters.

It is expected to transport 1.25 million tonnes of goods annually, according to sources with the hydropower station.

Jinghong hydropower station locates at the middle and lower reaches of Lancang River in southwest China's Yunnan Province, with an installed capacity of 1,750 MW. In addition to generating electricity, the station can also serve as a navigation channel, flood prevention facility and tourist spot.

Jinghong Port is one of the major ports along the Lancang-Mekong river. The shiplift is expected to facilitate the international navigation along the Lancang-Mekong River.

Rising on China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Lancang -- known as the Mekong when it flows out of China -- meanders almost 5,000 kilometers through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea.