As we look forward to 2017, there will be a new set of challenges for ports, along with those that remain. Carrier alignments have been prevalent during this past year, and we must stay nimble in serving our customer's needs through further change in our industry. Cargo volumes will increase, and vessels are getting larger; therefore, successful ports must capitalize on opportunities through improvement in efficiency, security, safety, and maintaining competitiveness.
One major change in 2017 will be in the strategic actions ports take that are focused on efficiency. For example, terminal assets must be utilized for more hours of the day through extended and flexible gate hours for the trucker. Achieving this requires an able partner that we have in the US Customs and Border Protection, the agency that must be provided resources to staff appropriately to inspect and clear cargo.
And as ports across the nation invest in facilities to handle growth opportunities, it is equally imperative that infrastructure needs for the long term be addressed, both on landside and waterside. Ensuring that federal dollars are used on federal waterways to maintain and improve our channels for their intended purpose is crucial. Adequate planning and funding of the landside transportation network to allow efficient movement of freight through all modes of conveyance to and from ports must also be a priority to prevent future congestion.
Another area of focus for the nation's ports in 2017 will be cybersecurity. Proactively mitigating increasing threats to cybersecurity must remain at the forefront. A compromised maritime logistics chain could cause significant harm and have costly consequences for our system.
Maritime commerce through our nation's ports is significant to the economic health of the country and cannot be overlooked. We have to continue our strategic focus on the future of congrestion-free movement of cargo.