Ships Stranded and Rivers out of Control in Panama: Colón in Chaos
Coordination is underway with the Panama Maritime Authority and Sinaproc to address both situations resulting from the bad weather.
A ship ran aground first in the afternoon, and later, a bulk carrier with 10 crew members got into trouble. At least two ships ran aground in the province of Colón, due to the bad weather in the region, in addition to roofs being blown off, river flooding and strong winds in coastal towns. One of these vessels that ran aground was identified as Ms Robin, dragged by the strong waves to the wall of a hotel in the city of Colón. The second ship that ran aground is a bulk carrier with 10 crew members, which occurred on the beaches of the township of María Chiquita, also in the district of Colón.
Coordination is underway with the Panama Maritime Authority and Sinaproc to address both incidents resulting from the bad weather on the Atlantic coast. From the district of Donoso, it is reported that the Indio River is experiencing flooding, accompanied by strong winds that have limited water traffic, in addition to roofs being blown off in towns such as Guayabalito. Similarly, water is entering the towns of the Santa Isabel district on the Costa Arriba of the province of Colón, increasing the alert for possible flooding.
A merchant ship remains grounded on the beach of the community of María Chiquita, on the Costa Arriba of the province of Colón, a situation that is being monitored permanently by units of the National Aeronaval Service (SENAN), due to the adverse weather conditions that are recorded in the area. From the moment the report was received, SENAN activated the monitoring and inter-institutional coordination protocols, working together with the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) and personnel from the Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente), who carried out the corresponding inspections in the area.
As part of the response actions, the ship’s crew was safely disembarked, with no injuries reported, authorities confirmed. Technical personnel from the Panama Maritime Authority remain on site and will be responsible for initiating administrative and technical investigations, with the aim of determining the causes of the grounding, assessing the condition of the vessel and verifying possible environmental impacts. Authorities reiterated that the incident occurred amid active weather watches for significant winds and swells in the Caribbean, as well as rain, thunderstorms, and windy conditions.
In that regard, the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) and the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (IMHPA) maintain a weather watch advisory in effect from 12:00 am on Sunday, February 1st until 11:59 pm on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026. The areas under surveillance include the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Colón (Lower Coast, Central and Upper Coast), the northern part of the Ngäbe Buglé region, the Guna Yala region and Northern Veraguas. Authorities called on the public and vessels to take extra precautions, especially in coastal areas, while adverse weather conditions persist.
