A cruise ship company has apologised to its guests for a bloody brawl that led to nine members of a Melbourne family being removed from one of its ships.

The Carnival Legend arrived at Port Phillip Bay this morning, after the family was yesterday taken from the ship in southern NSW following an on-board brawl with security staff.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests who were impacted by the disruptive behaviour of the group removed from the ship by the NSW Police in Eden yesterday,” Carnival Cruise Line Vice President Jennifer Vanderkreeke said this morning.

Passengers on-board a Carnival Cruise liner in the South Pacific have been filmed in a violent mass brawl (Supplied). (Supplied)

People can be seen fighting in mobile footage before security guards step in and pin passengers to the ground, kicking them in an attempt to separate them (Supplied). (Supplied)

“Our Care Team is supporting those who have been affected.”

Dramatic footage of the fight shows up to 30 people on the 10-day South Pacific cruise fighting, while others scream and attempt to hold them back.

Ship security guards then step in and pin them to the ground.

One guard can be seen trying to hit a mobile phone held by another passenger, while other guards kick at two male passengers grappling on the floor in an attempt to separate them.

A family member identified only as Zac said the drama was sparked by a misunderstanding over a thong.

"This is all over a thong, not a foot, a thong being stepped on and being instantly apologised for," Zac told 3AW host Neil Mitchell.

This afternoon, 23 members from the one family were taken off the cruise ship (Supplied). (Supplied)

"What happened there and then was apologised for.

"My nephew was threatened as he was returning a soccer ... when four or five blokes walked up to him and said 'Don't worry we're gonna get ya.' "

The ship docked in Eden, north of the NSW-Victoria border, to allow police to board it and remove multiple people from the vessel, before continuing on its path to Melbourne.

NSW Police later confirmed in a statement that six men and three teenage boys were removed from the ship at Twofold Bay for taking part in the fight, and 14 other passengers including women and children also left the ship.

No charges have been laid and the other family members have since returned to Melbourne.

Six men and three teenage boys in the family were removed by police for their involvement in the fight and 14 others, including women and children, also left the cruise (Supplied). (Supplied)

“With regards to the guests who were involved in the incident, we are fully cooperating with the NSW police,” Ms Vanderkreeke said.

Earlier, Ms Vandekreeke told media the cruise line company alerted police and docked the ship after one particular group of people from the one family became "violent and disruptive" during the voyage.

“We want to reassure all embarking guests today, and in the future, that the safety and security of our guests and crew is our number one priority,” she said today.

“This is reflected in our zero tolerance policy to excessive behaviour on board.”

A picture taken by one passenger shows the back of a man's head, dripping with blood, allegedly after one of the violent clashes (3AW). (3AW)

Passengers on the ship described the trip as a "cruise from hell" after two groups allegedly clashed throughout the voyage, leaving people bloodied and injured.

A photo shared by one passenger, George Barkho, on the ship shows the back of a man's head dripping with blood.

Mr Barkho's father, David, told Melbourne radio station 3AW his son had called him urging him to call the Australian Federal Police after he saw “a lot of people bleeding, a lot of people down on the ground” during a scuffle.

“He said, ‘please Dad, please, call the Federal Police’,” he said.

“I could hear a lot of screaming, crying in the background.”

George Barkho claims to have been involved in the chaos on-board and sustained injuries in the scuffle (3AW). (3AW)

He also alleged that security on-board the cruise liner had been confiscating mobile phones from passengers to delete photos.

Another passenger told 9NEWS that violence erupted on several occasions with threats made to stab and throw people overboard.

"We are so scared after witnessing a traumatic experience with yet again the same offenders. It was a bloodbath," the passenger said.

"We will not be leaving our cabins and are truly scared for our safety and what could happen in the next."

George's father, David, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that he had called him pleading for the Australian Federal Police to be called (3AW). (3AW)

A woman whose son was with his girlfriend on the ship also described how he had been caught up in a shouting match between two groups at a nightclub during the trip and had managed to avoid getting into any trouble, but could sense the tense atmosphere among passengers.

In a separate interview, a woman named Kellie Peterson told 3AW that she was on-board with her husband and three children aged 6, 9 and 11 and said tension among passengers had been growing over a period of days.

“They were looking for trouble from the minute they got on the ship,” she said.

“My husband said to take it away, because there’s kids here, and five of them surrounded my husband.

“They told us to watch our backs.”

She also said security staff had locked some of the offenders in their cabins after targeting other passengers and leaving them with "cut heads and hands and bandages everywhere".

A full-scale investigation into the incident has been launched.

See the full statement below:

Carnival Legend has returned to her new homeport in Melbourne this morning having completed a 10-day South Pacific cruise.

We sincerely apologise to our guests who were impacted by the disruptive behaviour of the group removed from the ship by the NSW Police in Eden yesterday.

Our Care Team is supporting those guests who have been affected. We want to reassure all embarking guests today, and in the future, that the safety and security of our guests and crew is our number one priority.

This is reflected in our zero tolerance policy to excessive behaviour onboard.

With regards to the guests who were involved in the incident, we are fully cooperating with the NSW police.