( CNN ) -- Piracy off the coast of Somalia rose nearly 200 percent in 2008 compared to the year before , with bolder attacks over greater distances , an international piracy monitor said Friday . The French military on patrol in the Gulf of Aden . Somalia and the Gulf of Aden were the worst areas for piracy in 2008 , according to the annual report from International Maritime Bureau 's Piracy Reporting Center ( PRC ) . It said 42 vessels were hijacked there and 815 crew members taken hostage -- more than any place else in the world . The increased ability of pirates to sail farther out to sea , coupled with the inability of the Somali government to respond , led to what the report called an `` unprecedented '' rise in piracy in the area . The problems off the Somali coast contributed to a global rise in piracy , which was up 11 percent in 2008 from the year before , the report said . `` The 2008 statistics surpass all figures recorded by the PRC since it began its worldwide reporting function in 1991 , '' said IMB Director Captain Pottengal Mukundan . Worldwide in 2008 , a total of 49 vessels were hijacked and 889 crew members taken hostage , the report said . Eleven crew members were killed and 21 others are missing and presumed dead . The pirates are targeting every kind of vessel and are better armed and prepared to assault and injure the crew , the report said . Incidents involving guns nearly doubled from 72 in 2007 to 139 last year . Pirate attacks last year included the hijacking of the largest ship ever taken by pirates , an oil supertanker called the Sirius Star . Attackers seized the giant ship and its 23-man crew in November and only released it last week after receiving a $ 3.5 million ransom payment . The carrier 's crew was released unharmed . Last year 's uptick in hijackings off East Africa has already spurred a number of international navies to patrol the Gulf of Aden . Mukundan said he hoped that more governments would authorize their naval forces to patrol the region . `` International navies are the only ones capable of effective response against piracy in the region and can help to secure the safety and security of this major maritime trade route , '' Mukundan said . Nigeria ranks second in world piracy with 40 reported incidents last year , including five hijackings and 39 crew members kidnapped . The main difference between the East and West African pirate activities is that almost all the incidents in Nigeria are conducted within its territorial waters , whereas most of the incidents along the East coast of Africa and the Gulf of Aden occur on the high seas , the report said . That means vessels in the Gulf area have a much harder time staying away from pirate-infested waters . The motives for the attacks are also different . In Somalia the motives are financial while in Nigeria they are at least partly political , the report said . Under-reporting of piracy in Nigerian waters is also a problem for the International Maritime Bureau , the report said . While 2008 appeared to be a bad year for piracy , the report noted declines in other areas of the world , especially in Indonesia . Mukundan said sustained anti-piracy efforts by Indonesian authorities have resulted in declines every year . More than 121 attacks were reported there in 2003 but only 28 were reported last year , most of which were opportunistic , low-level attacks , Mukundan said . Only two attacks happened last year in the Malacca Straits , which lie between Indonesia and Malaysia , compared to seven the year before , the report said . Farther south , the Singapore Straits saw a slight rise in incidents , going from three to six , the report said . `` This welcome reduction has been the cumulative result of increased vigilance and patrolling by the littoral states and the continued precautionary measures on board ships , '' the report said . `` With the world economy in its present uncertain condition , there is a possibility of piracy increasing . Navies and coast guards must continue therefore to maintain their efforts against pirates . ''
Somalia , Gulf of Aden confirmed as worst area for piracy in 2008 . 42 of 49 hijackings in 2008 were in the region , says Piracy Reporting Center . Comment: