Business at the Port of Hueneme has exceeded its management’s expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic, port officials said Oct.15 at the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce’s annual “State of the Port” address.
When the shutdown started in March, all 10 of the automobiles manufacturers that use the port stopped production of cars. The auto-cargo industry accounts for 55 percent of the port’s revenue through imports and exports.
“It was a little bit of a shock to the system to say the least,” said Kristin Decas, the Oxnard Harbor District’s CEO and port director.
As a result, the port projected huge losses in the auto-cargo sector. So far into fiscal year 2021, however, the port is seeing tremendous signs of recovery. The auto-cargo industry is down only 8 percent from the end of last year, well above the port’s projected 28 percent decline.
The fruits-cargo trade is up 4 percent, while total port revenue is down 8 percent. The port’s projections had revenue down 31 percent for fiscal year 2020-21.