London ( CNN ) -- Piracy , mostly in the dangerous waters near Somalia , has surged this year and may be at an all-time high , according to a new report Thursday . There have been 142 pirate attacks worldwide in the first three months of this year , according to the report from the International Chamber of Commerce 's International Maritime Bureau . And 97 of the attacks came off the coast of Somalia , the organization said . `` Figures for piracy and armed robbery at sea in the past three months are higher than we 've ever recorded in the first quarter of any past year , '' said Pottengal Mukundan , director of bureau that has monitored piracy since 1991 . During these attacks , 18 vessels were hijacked and 344 crew members were taken hostage . In the first three months of 2011 , seven crew members have been killed and 34 injured , according to the report . One of the deadly attacks occurred in February when four Americans were killed after Somali pirates hijacked their 58-foot yacht off the coast of Oman . U.S. prosecutors announced this week that they had indicted a man believed to be one of the leaders of that pirate attack .
Most of the pirate attacks are occurring near Somalia , group says . Seven people have been killed during these attacks . One of the attacks was in February on a yacht where four Americans were killed .