On 11 March, the helicopter of the French EUNAVFOR warship FS 'Nivose', while on aerial patrol, intercepted and responded to a distress signal from 'Jelbut 22', also known as 'Al Mansur'.
The fishing dhows position was 130 nautical miles east of Eyl, on the Somali coast. EUNAVFOR warship 'Nivose' sent a team to the assistance of the vessel and, at the invitation of the captain of the dhow, boarded the vessel to assist.
The crew reported that the 'Jelbut 22', with a crew of 14 Iranian fishermen, had been attacked and pirated by two skiffs, carrying 16 suspected pirates, in November 2010. The fishing dhow had then been used as a mother vessel in a number of failed attacks against merchant vessels. The pirates eventually abandoned the dhow when it ran out of fuel and water. FS 'Nivose' replenished the dhow to allow it to continue to a safe port.
