The first offshore components assembled at the Siemens factory in Hull  have been shipped out into the North Sea. The giant jack-up ship Sea Challenger left Alexandra Dock this morning carrying four towers, 12 blades and four nacelles destined for the Dudgeon wind farm 30 miles off the Norfolk coast. Barry Denness, head of port operations for Siemens, said: “It’s a big milestone and great to see the first shipment leave here. “Eventually this will become a familiar sight but it’s always special to see off the first ship.”

Mr Denness is the son of 1960s fishing industry safety campaigner Mary Denness, one of Hull’s famous so – called ‘headscarf revolutionaries’ “She has been very interested in the development here at Siemens and very proud at what has been achieved here.”Coming from a Hull trawling family and having spent 30 years in the offshore gas and oil industry, I am very proud to be playing a part in what really is an energy revolution.” The ship will take around eight hours to reach the Dudgeon wind farm site.

The Sea Challenger on the Humber with the Siemens blades and giant towers. Once at the wind farm, the Sea Challenger’s 70- strong crew will assemble four offshore wind turbines.  Each one will take around 24 hours to install. The blades being carried out to sea have been brought to Hull by ship from Aalborg. The first blades manufactured in Hull will be ready for shipment in May. They will go to the Race Bank wind farm off the Lincolnshire coast.