ISTANBUL 

Operations at the three main ports in Haikou, the capital of the Hainan province in southern China, were halted on Monday in the face of Typhoon Fengshen, which was upgraded to a severe tropical storm earlier that day, state-run Xinhua news reported.

As of 3 pm (0700GMT), the center of Typhoon Fengshen was located about 400 kilometers (around 248 miles) from Yongxing Dao -- the Woody Island -- in the South China Sea.

The storm is expected to strengthen further while moving east-northeast at a speed of 20-25 kilometers per hour (12.4-15.5 miles per hour), potentially reaching full typhoon intensity before shifting toward Vietnam’s central coastline, according to local meteorological authorities.

The Xinhai Port, Xiuying Port, and the railway south port suspended operations due to the typhoon, with services anticipated to resume around Thursday depending on weather developments, Haikou’s transportation and port departments said.

Some train services to and from Hainan Island have also been canceled, and emergency response measures have been upgraded to improve readiness.

In the nearby Guangdong Province, authorities also activated a typhoon emergency response on Monday after Typhoon Fengshen, the 24th named storm of the year, entered the South China Sea.

Provincial officials ordered all fishing vessels back to port, evacuated personnel from offshore installations such as fish farms and marine ranches, and suspended all maritime activities, including fishing and tourism.

On Sunday, Tropical Storm Fengshen lashed the northern and central Philippines, leaving at least eight people dead and forcing more than 22,000 people to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone villages.