OXNARD : Port District Backs Leasing Navy Wharf
In a move that could expand private operations at the Port of Hueneme by one-third, commissioners of the Oxnard Port District have tentatively approved leasing one of the harbor’s wharves from the U.S. Navy.
Port commissioners on Monday approved in concept a plan for leasing the 1,050-foot-long Wharf 3 from the Navy, which uses it for its cargo operations. The wharf is adjacent and at a right angle to Wharf 2--one of the Port of Hueneme’s two commercial wharves.
Also in the deal would be several warehouses and 25 acres of naval property abutting Wharf 3. The acreage would increase the size of the small commercial port by more than one-third. The Port of Hueneme covers 70 acres of dockside land.
Details over the method and rate of payment have yet to be worked out between the port district and the Navy, said Raymond Fosse, port commission president.
“We’re pretty excited,” Fosse said after the vote. “Under the circumstances, this agreement can work well for both parties.”
Occasionally, more ships arrive at the Port of Hueneme than can be handled at the port’s five ship berths on two wharves. With a third wharf, less time would be lost while ships wait outside the harbor for space.
The agreement would allow the Navy to continue use of the wharf for its own cargo operations. Final approval is not expected before September.
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