Cruise passengers have been evacuated from two cruise ships in Melbourne after sniffer dogs picked up a suspicious scent.

It is believed one of the ships is a Holland America Line vessel and the other, the Spirit of Tasmania.

Victorian Police say no suspicious objects have been found but the dogs responded to the scene while on a routine patrol at the pier.

“We have evacuated two cruise ships while we are conducting a safety check and the bomb response squad is on the way,” said a Victorian Police spokesperson.

Police were called the Melbourne’s main pier at around 12:15pm on Friday.

Shadie Farah who works at a fish shop at the pier told AAP that police told him explosives have been found.

‘The cops have blocked everything off. They told us that explosives have been found on one of the boats,’ Mr Farah told AAP.

‘There are heaps of people. They’ve stopped the trams and everything’s blocked off.’

Footage and photographs show that officers have cordoned off part of the street.

Joshua Brooks, who is down at the port said the passengers were mainly from America and the Netherlands.

Photo courtesy of 7 News.