NAIROBI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. navy warships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates Saturday off the coast of Somalia, killing one suspect and wounding five, Kenya's maritime officials confirmed here on Monday.

    The incident happened early Saturday as the ships were conducting maritime security operations, Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan Seafarers Association said by telephone from Mombasa, a port city in southeast Kenya.

    The ships spotted a suspect vessel, which opened fire on them, he said.

    A statement by the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command also confirmed the two warships -- the USS Cape St George, a guided missile cruiser, and the USS Gonzalez, a guided missile destroyer -- were conducting maritime security operations about 25 nautical miles off the Somali coast when they spotted a suspect vessel towing two smaller skiffs.

    The Gonzalez sent a team to board the vessel and noticed that a group of suspected pirates was brandishing what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenades.

    According to the statement, the suspected pirates then opened fire on the navy ships, which returned fire with mounted machine guns in self-defence. One suspected pirate was killed and a fire started on board the vessel.

    The navy said it detained 12 suspects and confiscated a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and automatic weapons.

    It also said the wounded were receiving medical treatment, adding that no U.S. sailors were injured in the incident.

    The waters off the Somali coastline have become among the most dangerous in the world for piracy since warlords ousted Somalia's former dictator in 1991 and divided the country amongst themselves.

    The International Maritime Bureau has warned ships to stay away from the coast because of the attacks. It has recorded 37 attacks since mid-March last year. Enditem