Shares of prominent cruise operators such as Norwegian Cruise Line (ASX:NCLH), Carnival (ASX:CCL), and Royal Caribbean Group (ASX:RCL) took a hit in premarket trading with Norwegian Cruise Line down by 3.3%, Carnival falling by 2.6%, and Royal Caribbean Group witnessing a decrease of 2.4%.

This decline is attributed to a rise of more than 2% in oil prices following an unexpected strike on Israel by the Palestinian group, Hamas, over the weekend, that stirred concerns of a possible broader conflict in the Middle East.

This surge in oil prices could exacerbate the already high fuel expenses for cruise lines.

In September, Carnival had forecasted a higher-than-expected loss for Q4, foreseeing a net impact of $130 million as a result of increased fuel prices and unfavorable currency exchange rates in the present quarter.

As of the last closing, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line have made year-to-date gains of approximately 65%, 84%, and 36% respectively.

Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival and Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how the conflict would affect their operations in the region.

Norwegian Cruise Line (ASX:NCLH) is a leading global cruise company.