An atlas for shipping in waters off the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is being drawn up to provide information for navigating and improving efficiency, according to the Tianjin-based Navigation Guarantee Center of North China's Sea under the Ministry of Transport.

"The atlas will help integrate the development of the main ports in the region and facilitate the larger integration of regional transportation," according to the center's spokesman, Chai Jinzhu.

There are four main ports in the region - one in Tianjin and three in Hebei. They are Tianjin Port, Qinhuangdao Port, Caofeidian Port in Tangshan and Huanghua Port in Cangzhou.

The atlas, containing pages of maps, will also contain information about the ports.

It will include the geographical distribution of ports in the region and the corresponding water transportation, natural resources, population, culture, status of trade and economy, introduction of government administrative institutions for navigation and related regulations.

"The atlas will also have a digital edition with added information on the ports' neighboring land areas," Huang Yongjun, an official of the navigation guarantee center was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

Huang's team in the center, which was established in 2012 to support navigation off North China and to promote the development of the area's maritime economy, is in charge of creating the atlas.

Drawing up the atlas is one of the many moves the region has taken to promote the integration of regional water transport.

Tianjin Port and Hebei Ports Group Co, a shareholder in Hebei's main ports, jointly established an enterprise last year to create port development plans. They plan to cooperatively develop the maritime economy by sharing resources and avoiding redundant construction and damaging competition.

Minister of Transport Yang Chuantang, who is the team leader for transport integration, said earlier that the region should enhance the integration of port resources, optimize the distribution of ports' functions and promote pragmatic cooperation on the basis of complementary advantages. "Ports in the region should have an integrated water traffic control system and can share navigation resources concerning shipping lanes, anchorages and pilotage services," Yang said.

Li Xiang in Tianjin contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn