The International Maritime Bureau, a marine-crime watchdog, has counted 33 pirate attacks or attempted attacks in or near the Gulf of Aden this year, up from 13 in 2007. It's not just the numbers but the new methods being used by pirates that are worrisome, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The IMB issued a warning to mariners in late August describing three large "mother ships" that they suspect are coordinating at least some of the recent attacks.

"There is a degree of organization" in recent attacks, Commodore Keith Winstanley, deputy chief of a coalition of U.S.-led navy ships operating in the region, told the newspaper. "Which is why we're taking action."

The newspaper said the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet has set up a special patrol area to counter the piracy threat in the gulf and the U.N. Security Council in June authorized international naval vessels to enter Somalia waters in pursuit of pirates.