[mrnyc]

^ thats good to hear too -- of course the locks have historically been an issue.

while i don't think more freighters would be needed these days, but certainly some of the aging ships will be replaced -- and its just so cool to see anything being built again like the new barker. i remember touring the old one as a kid.

re the others -- i'm sure there is a whole range of large great lakes ships which could also be built fairly regularly aside from like the coast guard. there must enough pent up work by now after all these years of nothing. one thing that comes right to mind is the goodtime 3, the beloved local cleveland lake cruise ship -- it was built in 1988 and i bet they may be due for an new upgrade sometime soon.