The MY Jairo Mora Sandoval is a vessel in the Sea Shepherd fleet. It is the latest addition and the fifth current vessel. It was purchased by Sea Shepherd UK and announced on June 26th, 2013. The vessel was named after Jairo Mora Sandoval, a sea turtle conservationist murdered in Costa Rica in May, 2013. The vessel was set to be revealed in August, 2013, but was delayed to a later date.
Operation Sunu Gaal[]
In January of 2014, it was announced that the Jairo Mora Sandoval was deployed in West Africa to assist the Senegal government in locating illegal fishing operations.
Transfer to Biosfera and MATTS[]
The JMS has been transferred to Biosfera and MATTS and is assigned to patrol the waters off of Cabo Verde under a three year lease to pay for operating cost. It was featured on Ocean Warriors where it helped MATTS track down dynamite poachers around Cabo Verde who were blast fishing. As of 2017 she is still in Cabo Verde and has helped in sea bird and reptile conservation on Raso Islet, aided authorities in identifying poachers and illegal tourism, supported sea turtle conservation and research in the Santa Luzia Reserve, and hauled trash from a beach clean-up on Achados Beach on the island of Santa Luzia.