AUGUST 2004

Using satellite phone technology to send stories home

August 31 2004 - Except for major cities, there are neither international mobile roaming nor land lines in the remote areas the Trans-Sahara convoy would be travelling through. But thanks to satellite communication, the convoy is able to send stories home to keep the world abreast with the expedition's progress.

"We have three satellite telephones with us," said Expedition Leader Halim Abdul Rahman. "In case the team member's families have to get in touch with them for any emergency reasons, they can contact us."

SAT 1 (Sandro) +39-338-6782465
SAT 2 (Harun) +39-338-6782906
SAT 3 (Halim) +39-338-6783405

PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 expedition flagged off in Khartoum

August 30 2004 - Malaysia’s 47th Independence anniversary PETRONAS Adventure Team (PAT), after successfully completing five extremely challenging international outings, was flagged off for its sixth annual overland adventure, the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 Expedition.

The flag off ceremony was officiated by His Excellency Dr. Awad Ahmed Al Jazz, the Minister of Energy and Mining, the Republic of the Sudan. Accompanying Dr. Awad were Mr. Zainal Rashid Mokhtar, Chairman of PETRONAS Sudan, and His Excellency Mohd Zamri Mohd Kassim, the Malaysian Ambassador to the Republic of the Sudan. The ceremony was organised at the PETRONAS Service Station in Amarat, held today to coincide with the fifth anniversary of Sudan’s First Oil and on the eve of Malaysia’s 47th Independence anniversary.

The 39-day PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 expedition comprises 44 Malaysian participants and a local handler in 18 four-by-four vehicles, and will traverse Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria, making Casablanca, Morocco its final destination on October 7, 2004.

The vehicles had been transported to Sudan via ships owned by Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Bhd (MISC), a PETRONAS subsidiary. MISC will also be responsible to ship the vehicles back from Morocco.

In his welcome speech, Zainal Rashid Mokhtar remarked: “Africa is becoming more and more important to PETRONAS, with the company currently having operations in sixteen countries in this continent - Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan and Togo.” He added that PETRONAS’ business in the Republic of the Sudan is one of the biggest operations for the company outside of Malaysia.

He said due to Sudan’s importance to PETRONAS in terms of the company’s overseas operations, it is not a coincidence that August 30, 2004, the fifth anniversary of Sudan’s First Oil, was selected to mark the start of the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 expedition.

Apart from MISC, the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 expedition is also supported by other co-sponsors including Ford, KUMHO Tires and BlueTECH.

Daily updates during the expedition will be available in the PETRONAS Adventure Team’s website at www.petronasadventure.com.

PAT, a part of the PETRONAS Motorsports family, has previously embarked on five successful expeditions, proudly carrying the PETRONAS and Malaysian flags in countries where the national oil corporation operates. Past adventures included Passage to Tibet in 1999, Indo China in 2000, Silk Road in 2001, Siberia in 2002, and Africa Trek in 2003.

PETRONAS Adventure Team members and staff refurbish Khartoum school

August 28 2004 - The Taeeb Sayed Basic School in Khartoum today was given a “face-lift” when members of the PETRONAS Adventure Team currently on its PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 expedition made a stop at the school to participate in a PETRONAS community development programme.

The Team, together with members of the PETRONAS staff and Malaysian students based in Khartoum, rolled up their sleeves and took part in a “refurbishment” programme at the school. They worked hand-in-hand to re-tile and re-paint several sections of the school as well as participated in landscaping activities to help beautify the school grounds.

The PETRONAS Adventure Team also put up a special interactive science show at the school to help nurture an active interest in science among its students.

The programme at the school is part of PETRONAS’ community programme held in conjunction with the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition 2004. This overland four-wheel drive expedition is the Team’s sixth adventure, taking it across the Sahara desert from Khartoum, Sudan to Casablanca in Morocco from August to October. The Team will also participate in several other community programme organised by PETRONAS at selected destinations along the expedition route.

The Team, a part of the PETRONAS Motorsports family, has previously embarked on five successful expeditions, proudly carrying the PETRONAS and Malaysian flags and messages of good will to countries where the Malaysian national oil corporation operates. Past adventures included Passage to Tibet in 1999, Indo China in 2000, Silk Road in 2001, Siberia in 2002, and Africa Trek in 2003.

Fond farewell for main expedition team members

August 27 2004 - There was not a dry eye in the departure lounge at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport as family members arrived to send off their loved ones early this morning. Twenty-eight members of the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition will arrive in Khartoum today at 4pm (9pm Malaysian time). They will join the 13 members of the advance team who are already in Khartoum.

Also travelling with the members are Expedition Doctor Dr. Khairudin Mohd Ali, camera crew Azmi Ismail and Rahman Md Zain, and photographer Teoh Weng Kim.

On the morning of August 28 the team will be doing a Community Relations (CR) programme at a school in Khartoum. The CR consists of tiling the floor of the rest areas of the school and painting the surroundings. At the same time, Joyce Simson and Mohd Saifuddin Abdullah will be conducting their PETROSAINS demonstration with the children. Dr. Khairuddin will also open his clinic for the children. The Event Briefing is scheduled for the evening.

Although August 29th is a free day, it’s also the last day for members to check that their cars are ready for the expedition including any necessary re-packing of the cars.

In this 39-day expedition, the 45 team members including their local handlers will travel in 18 cars through six countries – Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco – a distance of approximately 12,000 kilometres. The expedition will finish in Casablanca, Morocco on October 7.

Second advance team leaves for Khartoum

August 23 2004 - With nine days more to the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition flag-off, the second advance team comprising 10 key personnel departed for Khartoum early this morning. Led by Expedition Leader Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman, each advance team member has already been delegated specific duties.

The advance team includes Zainab Abdul Rahman, Azman Baharuddin, Mohd Arif Othman, Francis Khoo Teck Huat, Lok Chun Mean, Ng Chin Kwee, Anuar Mushadad Badaruddin, Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, and Mohd Harun Abdul Rahman.

Also at the airport were 30 members of Oscar Lima. Abdul Rahman, whose call sign is ‘Penghulu’ or ‘Oscar Lima 26’ explained, “We are one of the radio communication groups under PAT. We’re here to send off Halim (call sign: Echo Lima) and team, and when they return in October, we’ll also be here to welcome them home.” Besides Oscar Lima, the other radio frequency groups under PAT are Alpha Sierra and Papa Mike.

Logistics Director Mohd Faruk Abdul Rahman, Technical Co-ordinator Stiven Sim and PETRONAS Motorsports’ Zulkarnain Othman, whom are already in Khartoum, will be at the Khartoum Airport upon their arrival.

Both Halim and Azman will finalise details of the Community Relations programme in Khartoum and the expedition flag-off on August 30th.

As for Faruk, Stiven and the mechanic team, the cars have to be checked to ensure they are in tip-top working condition and refueled for their first leg of the journey. “The cars will stopover at the PETRONAS station in Khartoum to refuel before the cars are seen to by the mechanics,” said Stiven.

Meanwhile, in the communications department, Anuar and Karim have their work cut out for them. “We expect hard-core sand driving en route to Port Sudan,” said Anuar, who was referring to an infamous belt of sand, 18-kilometres long, somewhere between Atbarah and Hayya that is well-known to Sudanese travellers. “As such, we have to make sure the radios are working well so that it’s easier to face the hurdles.”

Halim added, “Radio communications will play an important part in the success of this expedition especially if the convoy is impeded by the desert, and in areas where we have to rely on GPS.”

Documenting the team’s preparations in Khartoum, plus the rest of the expedition, will be the responsibility of Harun; his camera crew of Azmi Ismail and Rahman Zain will leave early morning on Aug 27th. The six-episode PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition is scheduled to go on air on Nov 21st this year.

PAT management finalises preparations for Egypt and Algeria

August 20 - Azman Baharuddin, PAT’s Media & Public Relations Director and Dr. Zaini Shaarani, Expedition Management returned yesterday from Cairo, the capital city of Egypt. They were there to meet PETRONAS Egypt’s General Manager Encik Azhar Nordin and the local Egyptian handler to finalise arrangements for the military escort.

The expedition cars will be escorted throughout their stay in Egypt – from Halaib Gate at the Sudan / Egypt border to Marsa Matruh at the Egypt / Libya border. The route goes through Aswan, Luxor, Hurghada, Cairo and Alexandria.

Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Eelasegaran Nadarajah, General Manager Algeria Operations of Petronas Carigali Overseas Sdn Bhd met with Halim Abdul Rahman, the expedition leader to finalise preparations for the convoy in Algeria.

From the Tunisian border at Tozuer, the convoy will cross into Algeria and make their way to Oran on the Mediterranean Coast. The route will take them through Quergla, Ghardala, Laghout and Tiaret. Should the Algeria / Morocco border be still closed to traffic, the team will make a detour by using a ferry to take them across the border to Nador in Morocco. Efforts however, are still being made for an overland crossing into Morocco. The Team also plans to do some impromptu community work along the route.

"We had been having preliminary telephone conferences with Mr. Eelasegaran relating to the Algerian Sector,” said Halim, “So the purpose of this meeting was to finalise the routing and to ensure that all safety and security measures are in place for the team's safe journey.”

First advance team leaves for Port Sudan

August 19 2004 - Last night, PETRONAS Adventure Team’s Logistics Director Mohd Faruk Abdul Rahman, Technical Co-ordinator Stiven Sim and Zulkarnain Othman from PETRONAS Motorsports left for Sudan. They are the first of two advance teams sent ahead to prepare for the August 30th PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition flag-off.

At the moment, the cars are at Jeddah Port and are being moved to a smaller ship for its onward journey to Port Sudan. “We will clear 18 cars from Port Sudan (an additional vehicle from Italy) and ensure that they are transported by road, a distance of 1,000 kilometres to Khartoum,” said Faruk. He added that Stiven’s responsibility was to tackle any mechanical problems that arise. The next advance team will leave Kuala Lumpur on August 22.

Joyce learns from past experiences

August 9 2004 - Science Facilitator Fozi Wazir from PETROSAINS was showing his audience how to perform various scientific “tricks” using an assortment of newspaper, coloured foil, straws, rings, plastic cups, and balloons. In rapt attention were three ladies from various PETRONAS departments.

This could be a normal everyday occurrence, but instead it was a special moment for Joyce Simson, who’s leaving soon for the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition. In the same room were two previous expedition members – Sabariah Hamzah from Siberia 2002 and Connie Lum from Africa Trek 2003.

Having experienced their own PETRONAS Adventure Team expeditions, Sabariah and Connie were more than happy to advise Joyce, especially in regards to the Community Relations (CR) programme.

Together with Fozi, they taught Joyce various science demonstrations, which she’ll entertain the children with during her CR programme in Sudan and Egypt.

“The most important thing is to have fun and to do it from your heart,” advises Sabariah. “In the CR programme, Joyce has to enjoy performing the science show and share the experience with the children. Don’t worry about the science facts, just make sure it’s fun and enjoyable.”

“She should just be her natural self, and bring herself down to the children’s level,” added Connie. “Children are very captivated by the magic that’s performed, and they will be enthralled by the show. She can give so much joy and laughter to them.”

Language was not a problem for Sabariah and Connie. “The most important thing is the way you approach the children with your act,” explained Sabariah as she talked about her experience in Mongolia. “They won’t listen much to the things you say. They want to do the things you do – the hands-on experience. They understand the language in terms of the signage.”

Both wished Joyce well in her expedition. Joyce will depart with the main team on August 26th for Khartoum, Sudan.