HAIKOU, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China's southernmost island province of Hainan upgraded the flood control and typhoon emergency response from Level IV to Level III at 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to the Hainan provincial meteorological bureau, the center of Typhoon Wutip was located about 270 km southeast of Sanya City at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. It was packing winds of up to 18 meters per second with a central pressure of 993 hectopascals.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hainan maintained a Level IV typhoon alert after a tropical depression over the South China Sea had grown into this year's first typhoon in the morning.

Strong winds and rainfall have already affected Sansha, China's southernmost city, as it recorded a maximum rainfall of 108.6 mm and gusts of up to 18.7 meters per second between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Meteorologists forecast Typhoon Wutip is moving westward at a speed of around 10 km per hour, gradually strengthening as it approaches the southern coast of Hainan Island. It is expected to make landfall in the area on Friday.

According to the Haikou maritime safety administration, all ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait will be suspended starting 11 a.m. on Thursday. Currently, in Sanya, all cargo ship terminals have ceased operations and all water-based engineering projects have been halted. A total of 1,205 personnel from 11 offshore platforms have been relocated to safe areas, according to the maritime safety administration of Sanya.

In preparation, the provincial disaster prevention, reduction and relief committee activated an emergency response on Tuesday, advising authorities to strengthen inspection of reservoirs, urban drainage, tourism facilities and sites with hidden geological hazards. The committee also urged vessels and maritime operation platforms to take precautions against strong winds.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the highest level.