Naval Base Ventura County Activates Joint-Use Agreement With Port Of Hueneme To Help Ease Shipping Bottleneck
PORT HUENEME (CBSLA) — U.S. Navy resources are being put to work to help ease the bottleneck at Southern California's ports.
Naval Base Ventura County announced Monday it has activated a standing joint-use agreement with the Oxnard Harbor District/Port of Hueneme to help decrease the port congestion in Los Angeles County and ease the national supply-chain shortage. NBVC is made up of three facilities – Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, and San Nicolas Island – and is home to the Pacific Coast Seabees, the Westcoast Hawkeyes, three warfare centers, and the Navy's "ghost fleet" of unmanned air and sea vehicles.
The activated agreement authorizes commercial use of Wharf 3 onboard Naval Base Ventura County, including approximately 21 acres of contiguous land, buildings 546 and 548, and if available, another 10 acres of industrial land located outside the Wharf 3 area.
The naval facility has already welcomed at least one large cargo vessel, according to Daniel J. Herrera, the assistant program director for port operations of NBVC.
"Ports 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," Herrera said in a statement.
Commercial business at the Port of Hueneme has already increased significantly over the past year, according to Jason Hodge, president of the Oxnard Harbor District. The joint-use agreement was activated this month to make Port Hueneme available to cargo ships waiting to unload their shipments off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
"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," NBVC Commanding Officer Capt. Robert "Barr" Kimnach said in a statement.