Shocking video captured the moment a brawl broke out on a ferry trip from Ireland to Wales – as four men attacked a passenger amid screams from terrified onlookers.

The footage published by SWNS shows a man appear to use salad thongs to defend himself from the onslaught aboard the Irish Ferries vessel just 20 minutes into its voyage from Dublin to Holyhead on Saturday.

One man is seen trying to separate the combatants during the free-for-all.

Some of the men appear to be engaged in a three-way headlock amid the bedlam, which forced the ferry to return to port.

Terrified relatives and friends can be heard screaming as the chaos unfolds – while others remain seated at their tables and observe the violence until order was finally restored by the crew, including a burly chef.

​”Irish Ferries can confirm that there was a public order issue on board yesterday’s 13.50 DUBLIN SWIFT sailing from Dublin to Holyhead shortly after departure,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

“Irish Ferries places the highest importance on safety and therefore decided to immediately return to Dublin port, where the Irish authorities dealt with the incident. The ship resumed sailing at 15.52,” the rep said.

​”Irish Ferries apologises to passengers whose travel was disrupted by this issue and continues to assist the authorities who are investigating the incident,” the statement added.

It was unclear what sparked the incident.

The Garda, Ireland’s national police, did not immediately comment about the fight.