Cherie Blair will meet seafarers in the port of Tilbury when she launches Apostleship of the Sea’s annual Sea Sunday appeal later this month.

During the launch at Tilbury Seafarers Centre next Thursday, Mrs Blair, the granddaughter of a seafarer, will meet local chaplain Fr Patsy Foley and seafarers using the centre’s facilities.

Sea Sunday, the Catholic charity's annual appeal, will be taken up in churches on 12 July.

Apostleship of the Sea said the current economic downturn had had a "detrimental effect" on some sectors of the shipping industry.

The ministry said it was seeing increasing numbers of ships laid up, often due to the ship owner’s inability to settle bills. On occasions, the crew has been left stranded onboard with no food, fresh water or pay and unable to leave the ship because there is no guarantee that the ship owner will repatriate them to their home country.

Apostleship of the Sea said many of the seafarers who had found themselves in this situation were too frightened to call in the International Transport Federation "for fear of being blackballed in future".

Mrs Blair will also have the opportunity to meet seafarers onboard some of the ships docked at Tilbury to hear the issues they deal with on a daily basis.