The Navy is working with the Oxnard Harbor District in Port Hueneme in Ventura County to provide direct support in decreasing port congestion in hopes of reducing the national supply-chain shortage.
The collaboration is part a Joint Use Agreement that was first signed in 2002, allowing the Navy, when activated, to support commercial supply chain logistics by authorizing commercial use of certain facilities and areas aboard Naval Base Ventura County, freeing up space to move and store cargo.
Areas included in the JUA are Wharf 3 and approximately 21 acres of contiguous land, buildings 546 and 548 and up to an additional 10 acres of industrial land next to the Wharf 3 area.
“The Navy recognizes the importance of being good neighbors with our local communities, and makes every effort to provide support when current operational requirements allow,” Capt. Robert “Barr” Kimnach III, Commanding Officer of Naval Base Ventura County said in a press release.
The JUA was recently activated in November to help reduce the nautical congestion effecting Los Angeles County’s major ports. In order to avoid creating a backlog of ships farther south, cargo vessels can now pull into the port and unload a portion of their containers before continuing on to LA County or chose to unload all their containers at the Port of Hueneme.
“Ports of America already off-loaded a large number of forty-foot containers into lot 22 onboard Port Hueneme which is merchandise expected to have direct impact with helping to support holiday supply demands,” Daniel J. Herrera, assistant program director for port operations aboard Naval Base Ventura County said.
Jason Hodge, President of the OHD which owns the Port of Hueneme, has previously stated that commercial business at the port has increased significantly over the past year and when it comes to moving cargo, the port’s flexible “can do” attitude mirrors the Navy Seabees’ motto of completing a task no matter the condition or situation.
“The Port appreciates the partnership with NBVC and locating additional space to accommodate excess holiday shipments coming through the Port,” Hodge said. “We are delighted to come together to meet the challenge of providing a solution to help keep essential goods moving. Our long-standing history of partnership continues with this call-to-action to address the national supply chain challenge.”
Rachel is a Marine Corps veteran and a master's candidate at New York University's Business & Economic Reporting program.
