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Port of Hueneme Delegation On-the-Move During Trade Mission to South Korea and Japan

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Hyundai GLOVIS HQ: from left, Scott Cornell, CEO of GLOVIS, USA; Mary Anne Rooney, Port of Hueneme Harbor Commissioner; Kyoo Bok Lee, President of Hyundai GLOVIS; Celina Zacarias, President of the Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners; Kristin Decas, Port of Hueneme CEO/Port Director; Jason Hodge, Port of Hueneme Secretary. Courtesy photo.

PORT HUENEME — What is a more fitting way to usher in World Trade Week in Southern California than by having the Port of Hueneme complete a series of collaborative discussions, strategic meetings, and site visits during a whirlwind 10-day economic and green corridor trade mission to South Korea and Japan. Commissioners of the Oxnard Harbor District and senior Port of Hueneme leadership visited these two countries to reinforce, reinvigorate, and reimagine trade with key industry leaders and policymakers alike and align on innovation initiatives to green shipping lanes and operations.

“I was especially honored to be a part of this historic trade mission to Japan and South Korea, it is important for the Port of Hueneme to be a bridge to foster robust relationships with two of our most esteemed trading partners,” said Celina Zacarias, President of the Oxnard Harbor District.

From Seoul to Pyeongtaek, Ulsan to Busan, and Tokyo to Yokohama, the Port’s trade mission was focused on helping existing customers increase their business through the Port of Hueneme by introducing them to the Port’s development goals which seek to further catalyze business with the Port of Hueneme and honor community development and environmental goals as set forth in its strategic plan.  The Port of Hueneme and its trading partners embraced cooperation and collaboration regarding environmentally sustainable port development initiatives and automotive logistics with the aim of establishing Green Automotive Shipping Corridors.

The countries of Japan and South Korea are recognized as two of the brightest beacons of innovation, green initiatives and economic prowess, and their partnership with the Port has been instrumental in facilitating a thriving exchange of goods, ideas, environmental stewardship, and culture.
POH Welcome Reception: (Left to Right Back, back row then front row) Kim Sukwon, Vice President of Global SCM Support Group; Jason Hodge, Port of Hueneme Secretary; Kristin Decas, Port of Hueneme CEO/Port Director; Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer; Mary Anne Rooney, Port of Hueneme Harbor Commissioner; Scott Cornell CEO of GLOVIS, USA; and Celina Zacarias, President of the Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners.
California State Treasurer Fiona Ma was a member of the Port delegation. Port of Hueneme commissioners and leadership staff, as well as Treasurer Ma, presented a proclamation to Hyundai Glovis in recognition of the company’s commitment of working towards innovation, technology, and environmental sustainability goals. Following this gesture of gratitude, the Port of Hueneme signed a green automotive shipping corridor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 23rd with Wallenius Wilhelmsen Pyeongtaek International Ro-Ro Terminal — a WWL automotive terminal located in the Port of Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
(Left to right front row) Lee, Hongkyoo, Representative Director, PIRT and Celina Zacarias, President of the Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners sign the MOU. In attendance: (Left to right back row) Park, Chan-Soo, PIRT Safety & Planning Manager; Austin Yang, Port of Hueneme CFO/CAO; Kristin Decas, Port of Hueneme CEO/Port Director; Mary Anne Rooney, Port of Hueneme Harbor Commissioner; Christina Birdsey, Port of Hueneme COO.
“South Korea ranks as California’s fifth largest export partner and the top trading partner with the Port of Hueneme which is vital for Ventura County,” said California State Treasurer, Fiona Ma. “Hyundai Glovis is a leading logistics firm that enhances global connectivity. Hyundai Motor Company, the second largest in electric vehicle sales, is ramping up production to support California’s ambitious climate targets.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom set an ambitious goal requiring all new light passenger vehicles purchased by 2035 to be zero emission. Twenty-three percent of auto imports that come through the Port of Hueneme are electric vehicles. Both Hyundai and Kia’s commitment to the production of these vehicles is key to meeting that goal. The major counterpart ports where these vehicles are loaded include: Pyeongtaek and Ulsan in South Korea. For its part, many Subaru vehicles discharged at the Port of Hueneme originate in Kawasaki and Yokohama in Japan.

“The partnerships we have with Japan and South Korea will help mutually grow commercial relationships with existing port clients and allow for a dynamic effort to make a difference around the globe with green shipping and development practices,” said Kristin Decas, CEO & Port Director for the Port of Hueneme.

While in Yokohama Japan, members of the Port of Hueneme delegation and the Port of Yokohama celebrated their long-standing partnership by establishing a Memorandum of Understanding to create a Green Automotive Shipping Corridor between both ports. This MOU will help promote cooperation and collaboration regarding environmentally sustainable port development initiatives and automotive logistics at both ports with the aim of transitioning to a zero-emission future. This transition will require more than changing equipment and the energy which makes it move. It will require collaboration across the maritime industry from cargo owners, freight forwarders, ports and carriers to vehicle and engine manufacturers, energy producers, and policy makers alike.
(Left to Right) Mary Anne Rooney, Port of Hueneme Harbor Commissioner; Kristin Decas, Port of Hueneme CEO/Port Director; Celina Zacarias, President of the Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners; Yasuhiro Shimbo, Director General, Port of Yokohama; and Shinsuke Ito, President, Yokohama Port Corporation, gather for a photo to celebrate the formal signing of the MOU.
The MOU is a major step to improve the understanding of how these two ports can work together towards powering the world’s fifth largest economy through the California spirit of innovation, equity, and leadership.

The Port of Hueneme/Yokohama MOU is the first green automotive shipping corridor MOU signed by a US port authority and builds upon on a green shipping corridor initiative announced by the United States and South Korea at COP27, as well as a Letter of Intent to Support Port Decarbonization and the Development of Green Shipping Corridors between the State of California and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan. The Port of Hueneme is now the first US port authority to sign green automotive shipping corridor agreements with ports and terminals in both Japan and South Korea, whose markets represent a majority of the transpacific automobile trade between the three nations.