An overnight brawl thought to have been sparked by an argument over a woman resulted in 16 men being kicked off a P&O cruise.

The raucous broke out in the early hours of the morning on a week-long Pacific cruise on the Pacific Dawn, AAP reports.

The cruise company evicted 16 men over the incident and put them in the hands of Queensland police last week.

No charges have been laid.

The men are understood to be in their 20s or 30s. No one was seriously injured in the brawl, which security staff were forced to break up.

P&O Cruises spokesman Peter Taylor said there were more than 20 security officers on board.

Most of the 2000 passengers were sleeping at the time and were oblivious.

"We are serious about a zero tolerance of poor behaviour on board our ships and worked with the local authorities to transfer the passengers off at the first opportunity."