The names of all 193 Herald victims have been read out at a service on the day of the 30th anniversary today.

It has been taking place at St Mary’s Church in Cannon Street, Dover.

Speakers will include the Rt Rev Bishop James Jones, former Bishop of Liverpool.

Bishop James, a former pupil at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover, is no stranger to major disasters, having led the inquiry into the Hillsborough tragedy in which 96 football fans died in 1989.

At today's service an act of remembrance was led by Sandra Welch, deputy chief executive of the organisers, the Sailors’ Society.

There was due to be a two minutes’ silence, the recital of the Lord’s Prayer and the singing of hymns such as Eternal Father, Strong to Save plus Amazing Grace and Abide with Me.

The Rev John Walker, who welcomed people in to the church, said: “It’s unimaginable to me what people went through 30 years ago when the disaster happened and what they must have suffered, not only the families but Dover as a town.

"I have nothing to compare it to. All I can do is stand with people and provide a place for them to come to grieve and mourn.”

It follows a service at Zeebrugge the day before.

A documental drama retelling the story of the Zeebrugge tragedy was broadcast on February 25.

Herald of Disaster, on BBC Radio 4, mixed evidence given at the subsequent public inquiry with the story of a fictional family of day trippers.

Key members of the ship’s crew, other ferry company staff and rescue workers were also depicted.

The 90-minute programme largely confined itself to evidence documented by the Sheen Inquiry but used the family to give some sense of the terrible experience of the many passengers, without focusing on real individuals.