July 11 (Bloomberg) -- The Gulf of Aden, a maritime link between Europe and Asia, had the most attacks by pirates in the first half of the year, overtaking Nigeria.

There were a record 19 attacks or attempted attacks in the Gulf of Aden in the period, compared with seven a year earlier, according to an e-mailed report from the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau today. The number of incidents in Nigerian waters dropped to 18 from 19 a year earlier.

The Gulf of Aden, to the south of the Red Sea, is a transit point for oil tankers and container ships sailing through Egypt's Suez Canal to travel between Europe and Asia. The area, with Somalia to the south and Yemen to the north, was classified by the Joint War Committee, an adviser to Lloyd's of London, as being an equivalent insurance risk to places such as Iraq.

Globally, there were 114 attacks in the first half, down from 126 a year earlier.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alaric Nightingale in London at Anightingal1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 11, 2008 01:58 EDT