A group of armed men in a panga terrorized anchored yachts in Portobelo last Sunday evening, 13th January.

Published 5 years ago

Portobelo is a popular stop-off point for many cruisers on their way to the Panama Canal, being a port of entry with easy access to Panama City, yet a pleasant anchorage and historically much safer than anchoring in Colon.

Sadly that has changed following an armed attack on a Swedish boat anchored near the town on Sunday 13th January. Men with guns approached in a panga, boarded and beat the 3 crew on board and stole a number of valuable items.

It didn’t end there as the group of men then went on to approach several other yachts in the anchorage, who managed to prevent them from coming on board.

See the Caribbean Safety & Security Net’s reports of the 2 reported incidents below:

Panama, Portobelo: Armed Robbery

Panama, Portobelo: Attempted Robbery

Puerto Lindo close by has also recently suffered a number of security incidents, including an armed robbery.

A high level of caution is recommended for both Linton Bay and Portobelo.