Tracy Lehr
PORT HUENEME, Calif. (KEYT) When the Port of Hueneme hosts its annual Banana Festival it gives visitors a chance to tour the deep sea port by bus and boat.
Usually the port is full of container ships with bananas and cars and more, but many are delayed by hurricane Polo.
That gave folks on the boat tours a closer look at the docks during the 13th annual Banana Festival.
“We are huge employer for Ventura County and we move five billion bananas a year so if you think about that it goes around the earth 13 times that is a lot of banana and when you think about it it is a really appealing fact,” said pour tour guide Aaron Valance.
Dien Le of Thousand Oaks said he enjoyed learning more about it.
It was very interesting and very informative, you know my first time to the Banana Festival even though I have lived here 50 years I’ve always heard about it, glad I finally got to do it,” said Le, ” It was really cool to just see everything, learn the history and operations of the port.”
Longtime Harbor Commissioners also took part in the single day event.
“First of all every time we have this great Banana Festival, we always get a beautiful day such as this only Southern California has this weather.” said Harbor Commissioner Jess Ramirez,” If you are not here please come next year.
Ramirez said festival is collecting items for people at its sister port in Paita, Peru.
“This year we are sending a container full of nice clothing to Peru and that to me is my priority, I love the music, I like the people, everything I like but most all I like to think that we are giving people with the containers empty at the other end so we are going to be collecting clothing good clothing until Thanksgiving, so please go home, empty out your closets and get rid of the all the good stuff that you are no longer use,” said Harbor Commissioner Jess Ramirez
Port Chief Executive Officer Kristin Decas CEO said they will also be collecting other items,
“We are starting a campaign to collect food items and toys to give to an orphanage in Peru and also four villages there, we have a sister port with Paita and as part of that relationship we are running this campaign, so that is a very special part of this special event today.”
The port that will be zero emissions by 2030 is also considered a gateway to the world.
“The port being the access point for this county to global trade, celebrating partnerships with Europe, Asia, Latin America, South America, Central America and Mexico,” said Decas.
The port tour guides explained how the ships can use less diesel and plug into the docks.
They also said the port will be moving squid offloading to Ventura Harbor as part of a multi million dollars grant-funded project.
The move will give the port that shares space with the military more space for cargo ships.
Decas said blueberries are also big business.
“This year is not just about bananas we movie 5 billion bananas a year in this port enough to go around the world 13 times but we are also celebrating blueberries because we are the only West coast Port where you can import blueberries and they come from Paita,”Peru, ” said Decas,
Visitors also had a chance to meet Miss Chiquita Banana, too and take home bananas given out by port customers and festival sponsors.
For more information visit https:portofhueneme.org
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