Within the last year, the Port of Hueneme, located in Ventura County, California, was hit by 8 inches of rain in two hours plus a drought hurting blueberry shipments from Peru and hurricanes hurting Mexican banana imports, reports Kristin Decas, Executive Director, Port of Hueneme.
Blueberries & Bananas Impacted by Weather
In an interview with AJOT, Decas noted: “Container (volumes) dipped 8% in FY2024 compared to FY2023 due to bad weather in Peru and Mexico. There was drought in Peru that decimated the blueberry product … The ocean freight lost 50% of that blueberry volume out of Peru. So that impacted us in terms of TEU (twenty-foot unit container) volumes coming in because blueberries are a really big trade for us. And then there were typhoons in Mexico … caused a significant impact on some of the trade that we do out of Mexico. So, we saw the impact of weather on some of our refrigerated cargo volumes. We bring in avocados and bananas … from Mexico and Mexico's our number one value … by volume. However, this year it was Guatemala, so I know we're bringing more bananas from Guatemala, and I'm sure it was driven by a lot of that weather.”
In terms of blueberries Maersk, Delmonte and Chiquita provide ocean carrier services to the Port of Hueneme from Peru.
Long-term, container volumes, reflecting mostly moves of bananas and blueberries, continue to rise: “Containers, full containers, are up 124% for FY2024 compared to FY 2020 while total containers with empties are up 63% for FY2024 compared to FY2020.”
Atmospheric River Damage
Decas said that the Port was hit with an atmospheric river of rain in December 2023 in which 8 inches of rain fell in two hours and destroyed the Port’s shoreside power system which had cost the Port $14 million to build. It will now need to be replaced at a cost of $40 million: “On December 21st, 2023, we had an atmospheric river of rain come through the Port area. And … it had a very small reach, but we had three inches of rain in one hour and five inches of rain in the next hour for a total of 8 inches in two hours, just in this little area of the Port. They evacuated the Navy base (Naval Base Ventura County). We had so much water that it took out our shoreside power system, just decimated it. So, what took us so much effort to build and meet those rigorous California Air Resources Board regulations was taken out in one hour which cost us 10 years ago to build for $14 million. Today, the replacement cost is $40 million. So, we are working with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) to get disaster relief funds to rebuild that system.”
Emission Control Barges
Decas explained that a stopgap measure had to be found to control emissions: “But while we are doing that, we are going to bring in new emission control systems to maintain our zero-emission footprint … So, we're going to use these STAX systems working with the State to control the emissions until the shore power system comes back online. And then we are going to fully electrify our Port. So, both Roll On/Roll Off carriers and our container ships will all be plugging in (to the grid) come 2026.”
In August 2024, STAX Engineering described the Port of Hueneme project: “The system will consist of mobile floating barges that can place filters on ocean-going vessel stacks and filter out harmful emissions like particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen. This new effort is a direct response to mitigate impacts due to the damage incurred to (the) Port’s Shoreside Power system last December during the major storm that flooded Port Hueneme … STAX’s system is ingeniously designed to envelop a vessel’s smokestack, capturing particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions directly at the source. The barge is powered by renewable diesel, making it cleaner than the electric grid. Its cleaned exhaust stream meets the health-protective standards required by CARB (California Air Resources Board). This aligns perfectly with the Port of Hueneme’s commitment to sustainability.”
Celina Zacarias, Board President for the Oxnard Harbor District noted: “We must continue to move forward towards our goal of becoming a zero emissions Port. The storm damage has created an opportunity to continue showing how resilient our Port can really be. We are putting the community first through this type of collaboration, and we will continue to pursue these types of partnerships so that our neighbors can rest assured that their Port is doing everything in its power to reduce its emissions and continue moving forward toward the goal!”
Auto Shipments Rebound
Decas reported: “Autos are up 9% in FY2024 compared to FY2023 and we had an historic year moving over 400,000 autos in FY2024.”
Port business has picked up thanks in part to (a) renewed supply of semiconductors: “So that business is busting. And a lot of that has to do with the fact that the manufacturers, the OEMs are out of the whole of the Covid pandemic and semiconductor chip shortage. Then you had the lack of auto parts, particularly the semiconductor chips. So, that's all kind of recalibrated now. And we are seeing the market stabilize and OEM productions are really high, and the volumes are very strong coming in through the ports.”
In terms of Port Hueneme revenues, Decas said: “Total revenue for FY2024 compared to FY2023 is within 2% … around 1.8% down off our best year in history, showcasing that Port performance is extremely healthy.”
Leadership In Refrigerated Cargoes
The container volumes are primarily containerized, and the Port is one of the leading refrigerated cargo ports in the United States: “This is a big market for us that refrigerated cargo. LA is nationally ranked number four in this space and Long Beach is ranked number eight, but Port Hueneme is ranked number five. So that just gives you a sense when you look at my big brothers right down there in Los Angeles and Long Beach that are the eighth largest complex in the world, the fact that we're competing … in refrigerated cargo.”
Investments
In terms of investments, Decas said: “We are implementing over $106 million in projects to optimize operations and meet zero emission targets by 2030. On top of this, we are securing $40 million in disaster relief dollars to rebuild our shoreside power system.”
Banana Festival
On September 28th, Decas attended the Port’s 11th Annual Banana Festival where a Port announcement publicized that: “Over 10,000 attendees “went Banana’s” at the Port’s 11th Annual Banana Festival, celebrating a diverse working waterfront. The festival offered attendees a unique opportunity to experience one of the most efficient and effective working waterfronts on the West Coast. This year’s theme, “Charging Forward to a Zero Emission Future by 2030,” highlighted the Port’s commitment to a zero-emission future, showcasing its pivotal role in transitioning away from fossil fuels through the implementation of new and innovative equipment and infrastructure.”
PORT HUENEME
INTERNATIONAL TRADE PARTNERS - Value & Volume |
||
Top Trading Countries by Value |
||
Rank |
Country |
YTD |
1 |
South Korea |
$4.88 B |
2 |
Germany |
$2.37 B |
3 |
United Kingdom |
$1.36 B |
4 |
Japan |
$1.29 B |
5 |
Mexico |
$712.78 M |
6 |
Sweden |
$587.35 M |
7 |
Slovakia |
$482.05 M |
8 |
Guatemala |
$439.24 M |
9 |
Belgium |
$318.26 M |
10 |
Peru |
$257.80 M |
Top Trading Countries by Volume (Fresh Produce) |
||
Rank |
Country |
YTD |
1 |
Guatemala |
67,395.89 |
2 |
Costa Rica |
29,460.30 |
3 |
Mexico |
17,382.75 |
4 |
Ecuador |
15,829.76 |
5 |
Peru |
12,547.38 |
6 |
Chile |
5,079.25 |
7 |
Colombia |
2,407.80 |
8 |
Honduras |
2,213.68 |
9 |
El Salvador |
1,463.29 |
10 |
Nicaragua |
1,387.87 |
Source: Port of Hueneme
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