Western Railroad Discussion > US Navy opens Pt Hueneme to more Merchant Ships to easy Cargo

The US Navy is opening up Port Hueneme to more Merchant Ships.
To ease the Cargo mess at the LA/LB Harbor.
With the little infrastructure in place at Port Hueneme.
Could we see any chance in carloads for the VCY?
And will the UP add a few more Oxnard Haulers?
Port Hueneme is about 3 miles from Oxnard, CA.


The US Navy opens up Port Hueneme To more Merchant Ships to ease Cargo Crisis

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

I really believe this is more window dressing that serious help.  The bulk of the backup in LA/LB is container ships, and PH doesn't have any proper container cranes and couldn't unload a ship with any speed.  Port can unload auto carriers and small break/bulk.  In addition as the previous poster says, there isn't much infrastructure to handle trucks or anyway to trans-load to rail.

Greg
 

Greg Ramsey
Las Vegas, NV

atsfm177 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I really believe this is more window dressing that
> serious help.  The bulk of the backup in LA/LB is
> container ships, and PH doesn't have any proper
> container cranes and couldn't unload a ship with
> any speed.  Port can unload auto carriers and
> small break/bulk.  In addition as the previous
> poster says, there isn't much infrastructure to
> handle trucks or anyway to trans-load to rail.
>
> Greg

Additionally, getting in/out of the port is not the easiest thing to do. Since it is Navy base, you have to go through a security checkpoint in addition to a normal terminal checkin-checkout. 

And to expand upon the infrastructure, the roads to/from the port could not handle any significant traffic increase.

I have delivered many RV trailers there for export and it is not quick in/out by any measure.

atsfm177 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I really believe this is more window dressing that
> serious help.  The bulk of the backup in LA/LB is
> container ships, and PH doesn't have any proper
> container cranes and couldn't unload a ship with
> any speed.  Port can unload auto carriers and
> small break/bulk.  In addition as the previous
> poster says, there isn't much infrastructure to
> handle trucks or anyway to trans-load to rail.
>
> Greg
>  

Yup, another panic move to make it seem like somethings being done.  Meanwhile, I read today that truckers are warning that the xax mandates will worsen the situation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/21 09:37 by Curt.

For those playing the home game who have never been to Port Hueneme (pronounced why-knee-me), this view from last month might help. It's obviously not very big. Will G&W send more power or is the ex-SOU GP38-2 sufficient?
—Mac

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Port Hueneme is "home base" for banana carrying containers destined Southern California.  There is a large banana distribution center in Oxnard where the containers are reworked or further distributed to grocery store warehouses all over Southern California.  Between bananas and import autos, the Port is pretty busy.  However, I do know that at least one ocean carrier is using Port Hueneme to off load some volume that would have normally been handled at the Ports of LA or LB.  Of course, when this ocean carrier used the Port, they had to find places to park their containers, another challenge in the area.

Pete
Oxnard, California
 

What does the Port of San Diego do now?

Take care of the Navy.

Out 

nedzarp Wrote:
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> What does the Port of San Diego do now?

Automobiles, in and out, Commodities like potash and borax out and Cruise Ship passengers.
Plus a whole lot of stuff for the navy!

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nedzarp Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What does the Port of San Diego do now?
>
> Automobiles, in and out, Commodities like potash
> and borax out and Cruise Ship passengers.
> Plus a whole lot of stuff for the navy!
Not much if any potash or borax recently . Once weekly Fruit on a Sunday (Dole) and occasional wind tower components. Honda imports and that's it No Transpacific containers.

nedzarp Wrote:
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> What does the Port of San Diego do now?

San Diego has little dock space for large cargo ships other than RORO, which is actually in National City. The vast majority of "port" is owned/controlled by the US Government via the US Navy.

Tenth Ave Marine Terminal

• 96-acre complex
• Eight berths
• Depth of 42 feet
• Flexible, mobile harbor crane
• Flexible storage opportunities including cold storage, covered storage and open laydown space
• Approx. 300,000 sq. ft. (27,871 square meters) temperature controlled warehouse
• On-dock shore power and fueling

National City Marine Terminal

• 135-acre complex
• Four working berths
• Depth of 35 feet
• Direct access to on-dock class I rail
• Secure facilities for valuable cargo with 24-hour monitoring
• Flexible storage opportunities
• Primarily for vehicle import/export

There is also a 2 berth cruise ship terminal near downtown, a few blocks from the SantaFe Railroad Depot.

Does San Francisco no longer have the capability to unload large container ships?

We've heard a lot recently about Seattle, Portland and San Diego in addition to Pt. Hueneme (the topic of this thread). But, I've heard almost nothing about SFO. 

Any info?

MSE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does San Francisco no longer have the capability
> to unload large container ships?
>
> We've heard a lot recently about Seattle, Portland
> and San Diego in addition to Pt. Hueneme (the
> topic of this thread). But, I've heard almost
> nothing about SFO. 
>
> Any info? No container business in SFO, just cruise ship and expensive high rises. And the port of Oakland is under used.

Proud Foamer
OAKLEY, CA

MSE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does San Francisco no longer have the capability
> to unload large container ships?
>
> We've heard a lot recently about Seattle, Portland
> and San Diego in addition to Pt. Hueneme (the
> topic of this thread). But, I've heard almost
> nothing about SFO. 
>
> Any info?
Probably afraid of all the smash-and-grab.

Several reports say the congestion at the Los Angeles ports is easing.

True or not?

Posted from Android

No I just at port doing some work for  the last 2 days and its full and not many containers being unloaded and containers stacked everywhere there is a spot. And the hid many of the ship out last Catalina Island so it does no it look so bad. Many of the container cranes not working due to no room to ground the containers, and trucks everywhere.  

See Sal Mercogliano "What is going on with shipping?" channel on YT.  College Prof, former mariner.

The problem pushed further offshore.  

sphogger

 

One good move being done is to force the shipping companies to fully load the departing ships with empties, over time this will create some space. They had been departing with empty cells in order to clear the berth faster, but this just pushed the problem elsewhere.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Several reports say the congestion at the Los
> Angeles ports is easing.
>
> True or not?
>
> Posted from Android

Heard on the local LA news this week that there is only 60 ships waiting offshore to enter the Ports of LA & LB. Down from a high of over a hundred a couple months ago.
The new rules to start fining shippers for not picking up their containers in a timely manner, i.e. 9 days max, seems to be working.

NPR's Planet Money podcast mentioned the Port of Hueneme during an episode of November 17th. One of the problems of diverting containers to "specialty" ports is that the current customers do not want to let their chassis disappear hauling someone else's container.
"Companies that are already coming into the Port of Hueneme, like Del Monte and Chiquita - they're leasing out space on their ships to bring in stuff that they don't normally carry, like furniture, clothes, toys, musical instruments alongside their regular bananas and mangos and pineapples."
https://www.npr.org/2021/11/16/1056299014/of-boats-and-boxes

John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/21 07:45 by VaCentralRy.