The Port of Hueneme will be able to recoup some of the revenue it lost in the 2020 fiscal year, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The port, located in Ventura County, Calif., is expected to receive more than $2.3 million from California’s American Rescue Plan Act, which was created to help ports impacted by COVID-19, it was announced in February.
For example, the port’s auto manufacturing sector took a hit during the pandemic when auto manufacturers encountered production setbacks. The port saw the number of auto ships drop from up to six vessels weekly to two, and in some cases to zero.
The funding is expected to help make the port more solvent as it faces the FY 2020 revenue losses to its auto business, while also helping to cover surging costs in capital improvements due to inflation and supply shortages, port director and CEO Kristin Decas said.
“Since the early days of the pandemic, the Port of Hueneme and other California ports have worked to ensure that essential goods reach consumers, even as they faced abrupt and dramatic revenue shortfalls,” said state Controller and State Lands Commission Chair Betty T. Yee. “This funding is a game changer. It will restore financial losses while helping the port address supply-chain constraints and invest in technology to improve the environment.”