Aiming at the characteristics of design,construction and operation in the whole life cycle of ship lock metal structure,combining with some large ship locks along the Xiangjiang River as examples like the Dayuandu second ship lock,we explore and discuss the scheme design,calculation analysis,optimization design,construction drawing design,visual technical disclosure,construction visual guide,on-site installation construction simulation,accurate cost data measure,operations data management,3D guidance and learning management and facilities maintenance management based on BIM technology.The results show that during the whole life cycle of the ship lock metal structure,BIM technology can realize the share and full utilization of data and information,which has extensive application value to improve the informatization level of design,construction,operation and maintenance management,reduce cost,improve efficiency and quality,and enhance enterprise competitiveness.