LONDON, England (CNN) -- Violent and predatory pirates are "totally out of control" according to experts; but what can be done to solve the problem? Held hostage: The crew on the merchant vessel "MV Faina" are among 286 being detained by Somali pirates. It's the question that major trading nations, navies and shipping companies are all battling to answer as luxury yachts, large freighters and even competitive race boats face unprecedented levels of piracy. As of December 5, a staggering 286 crew members aboard 14 vessels were still being held captive by pirates after a significant flurry of attacks that started in July this year.
@highlight
More than 280 crew members are still being held hostage by pirates
@highlight
Michael Howlett of the IMB says the situation is "totally out of control"
@highlight
Navies need to be able to do more to stop pirates, Howlett says
@highlight
The pirate problem has threatened the UN World Food Programme in Somalia
The @placeholder was currently feeding about 1.7 million Somalian people every month and was aiming to increase that to 2.4 million per month, he said.