Perhaps the closest comparison occurred in 2007, when the MS Sea Diamond ran aground near the Greek island of Santorini, eventually sinking and leaving two passengers missing and presumed dead.

WSJ: Cruise Operators See Shares Fall, Defend Safety

The GDP figures were also enhanced by comparison with the previous three months, because the second quarter had an extra public holiday as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June, as well as unusually bad weather, which reduced growth.

BBC: UK economy returns to growth with help from Olympics