A US luxury cruise liner was attacked by heavily-armed pirates off the eastern African coast Saturday, US media reported.

Pirates in two armed boats approached the Miami-based Seabourn Spirit some 170 km off the coast of Somalia and fired a rocket- propelled grenade and several machine-gun shots.

While pirates tried to get onboard, the 10,000-ton cruise liner managed to change its course and outrun the boats of the pirates.

One crew member on the liner suffered minor wounds from flying debris.

The vessel's 151 passengers, mostly Americans with some Australians and Europeans, were gathered in a lounge for their safety and none was injured.

The Seabourn Spirit had been bound for Mombasa, Kenya, at the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt.

It is scheduled to reach the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean on Monday before heading for Singapore.

Piracy along the Somalia coast is common and several ships a month are attacked or hijacked, with valuables stolen and crews held for ransom.

Source: Xinhua