This is the shocking moment boat captains brawled on a pier in a fierce competition over who would transport a group of tourists in Thailand.

The rival tour operators were jockeying for positions to hard-sell boat trips to the island Koh Larn to holidaymakers. But chaos erupted when they began to insult each other followed by a mass punch-up at the Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya on August 26.

Footage shows several shirtless men battering each other next to a busy road, sparking panic among worried onlookers.

One yob elbowed a driver while another emulated American wrestling when he slammed a plastic chair onto victim. Others even took off their shoes to use as weapons.

Officials from the Pattaya City special affairs unit tried to break up the fight, but the brawl only stopped when they called the local police, who remained at the scene to prevent further flare-ups.

One of the operators involved told local media that another fight had broken out earlier in the morning when a rival group allegedly assaulted one of their employees.

The incident was reported to the police, but he claimed the same group taunted them again, leading to the brawl.

Such fights between speedboat operators are understood to be common in Pattaya, often stemming from intense competition for customers.

However, locals said they were worried the brawls would negatively impacting Pattaya's reputation as a tourist spot, and have urged authorities to look into the matter.

Police Captain Nattapol Saengsee said: 'Obviously we don't want fights happening in Pattaya. It looks very bad to tourists.

'I can confirm none of those involved in the fight have any special treatment. We will investigate the situation fully and patrol this area to make sure it doesn't happen again.'