New York  - Acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea trebled in 2008 with the pirates taking an estimated 30 million dollars in ransom, the United Nations said Wednesday in an updated report on shipping lanes between the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean.

The International Maritime Bureau recorded 293 acts of piracy in 2008, 111 of which took place off the Somali coast, for a total increase of 200 per cent last year in the Suez Canal-Indian Ocean corridor alone.

The increase occurred despite joint actions by navies from many governments and by NATO to stop piracy. The report said the NATO Shipping Centre recorded the drastic increase in piracy acts, which were sustained during 2008.

"In comparison to 2007, incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in 2008 trebled," the report said.

Worldwide the International Maritime Bureau reported an 11-per- cent increase in piracy.

The report said there are two main piracy networks in Somalia, in the Puntland and in the southern Mudug area. The former hosts the most important pirate group, located mostly in the Eyl district that comprises smaller groups. The report said the Eyl groups collected an estimated 30 million dollars in ransom in 2008.

"It is widely acknowledged that some of these groups now rival established Somali authorities in terms of their military capabilities and resource bases," the report said.

Several governments have now cooperated to fight piracy and adopted a code of conduct at a high-level meeting in Djibouti in January. The participants in the code of conduct include Canada, the Netherlands, China, Russia, Britain, Denmark, Turkey and the United States.

The UN urged a stronger and more effective fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Somali coast because pirates have stolen or prevented the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalis who need help. (dpa)