Port Of Hueneme now exports and imports directly from Central America

The Port of Hueneme is now directly connected with Central as well as parts of South America.

On Tuesday the Port Of Hueneme announced a partnership with global container shipping line, SeaLand. SeaLand is adding the Port of Hueneme as a port of call in its West Coast Central America route, which also includes relay carrier services in the Port of Los Angeles and ports in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Chile and Peru.

“The trade quarters that are getting created through this service will reach markets in Peru, Chile, Mexico as well as Asia. Creating a whole new way Ventura County businesses can trade with the global world,” said Kristin Decas, CEO of Port of Hueneme.

The new route will get products to Ventura County sooner, and give local companies a more convenient point to import and export goods from Central and South America. So instead of having to truck goods to and from Los Angeles now they can be picked up or directly exported from the Port of Hueneme.

“Most people look at the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles as the California hub for all shipping, and kind of forget about the bananas and other products that come to Port Hueneme and we are the first to bring this market in to them,” said Timothy Child, COO of Sealand.

“It creates opportunities for businesses to use their port to move goods for global trade,” said Decas.

The move is not only good for local companies and the economy but also the environment.

“It reduce the amount of travel by trucks to the port communities so for instance going up into the Los Angeles basin is a long truck ride from Ventura County and other areas of California. Coming to Port Hueneme reduces truck traffic and therefore the global footprint and greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants,” said Decas.

Child said shipping about 100 loads of produce from Mexico to Port Hueneme could save companies about 1 million gallons of diesel fuel a year.

The SeaLand route will be a weekly service arriving in Port Hueneme every Tuesday.