Punch up at sea

Passengers on board Carnival Legend were terrorised by some members of a big family who provoked terrifying fist fights over three days, before the ship docked in Melbourne last week.

Several of the Barkho family, from Melbourne, were kicked off the Carnival Legend cruise ship on Friday after shocking footage showed 30 passengers and security guards in a brutal brawl in the ship\s nightclub.

What should have been a relaxing cruise was reduced to bloody chaos as two warring families began beating each other after one man stepped on another\s flip-flop.

The Carnival Legend ship was on a 10-day South Pacific cruise when savage fist fights broke out as it was 220km off Jervis Bay, Australia, around 1am on Friday.

One witness, said the brawl started after two men tangled feet, leading to a bitter exchange of words between two family groups.

That then escalated into a brawl, many passengers were accusing security of escalating the situation before piling into the foray with vicious kicks and punches.

Police were called as the vessel docked at Eden and 23 members of the same family – including six men and three teenage boys – were detained.

Police, who are now investigating the fights, said the family was transported to Canberra where other travel arrangements were made.

Carnival Cruise Lines have released a statement to Daily Mail Australia saying: The vast majority of the guests on board Carnival Legend are enjoying their 10-day cruise holiday to the South Pacific.

The ships highly trained security staff have engaged with a small group of disruptive guests and ensured that they are fully aware of and are compliant with our zero tolerance policy. This strong approach is in line with our commitment to safety as the number one priority.

The Carnival Legend is due to dock in Melbourne, its home port for 2018, tomorrow.

It is not the first time Australian passengers have complained of violence on board cruise ships.

The P&O Explorer was forced to turn back to Sydney after a brawl erupted when a female passenger allegedly hit a guy over the head with a bottle of wine last week.

There was a 30 minute brawl on the ship involving at least 15 passengers, according to witnesses.

Seven people – six men and one 37-year-old Russian woman – were arrested and escorted off the cruise.

Have you experienced anything like this on board?