US Navy 071202-N-3764J-003 Merchant vessel Al Marjan was released from pirates off the Somali coast Dec. 2.jpg
{"Image ImageDescription": "071202-N-3764J-003 \u00f1 USS WHIDBEY ISLAND, At Sea -  Merchant vessel Al Marjan was released from pirates off the Somali coast Dec. 2.  Al Marjan had been under the control of Somalia-based pirates since Oct. 17.  USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) was on hand to assist the vessel and its crew following its release.  The U.S. Navy has maintained a ship presence off the coast of Somalia since late October.  There has been as many as six pirated vessels off the Somali coast over the last 30 days.  The U.S.-led multinational maritime task force responsible for planning counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa includes Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.  Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. US Navy photo by Cmdr. Michael Junge. .", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Artist": "Cmdr. Michael Junge", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image Copyright": "Public Domain"}