A memorial service will take place at Southwark Cathedral on Wednesday 20 August, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Marchioness pleasure boat tragedy, which claimed 51 lives.
The names of all those who were killed when the boat sank after colliding with dredger the Bowbelle under Cannon Street railway bridge, will be read out at the service. There will then be two launches to enable relatives to drop flowers on the spot where the vessel sank.
Among those who died aboard the Marchioness on August 20, 1989, were Francesca Dallaglio, the sister of former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio, and merchant banker Antonio de Vasconcellos, whose 26th birthday was being celebrated aboard the boat.
The disaster prompted a tightening-up of marine regulations, including the launch of the first lifeboat services on the Thames, in 2002. It was a 10-year campaign by the Marchioness Action Group, which led to the reforms.
A memorial stone was laid at Southwark Cathedral in 1991.
