OCTOBER 2004
PAT returns home
October 12 2004 - The PETRONAS Adventure Team (PAT) today returned home safely to Malaysian shores after a grueling 39-day expedition traversing the vast Sahara Desert in north Africa.
The convoy members who departed Casablanca, Morocco for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over the weekend are glad to be back home after having spent over a month away from family and friends.
The 18 vehicles which were used by the convoy are being shipped back from Casablanca to Port Klang, Malaysia by the Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Bhd (MISC), a PETRONAS subsidiary.
The 45 participants of the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara Expedition 2004 journeyed through six countries in Africa namely Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
The six one-hour documentary series is scheduled to air weekly starting from Monday, November 22, 2004 on TV2 at 10pm.
Colourful finish to the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004 expedition
October 7 2004 - The seaside city of Casablanca, romantically immortalised in the movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, today warmly embraced and welcomed the participants of the PETRONAS Trans Sahara 2004 expedition.
The 45 Malaysian participants of the gruelling 39-day expedition arrived at their final destination and were received at the Riad Salaam Hotel overlooking the Atlantic Sea by Her Excellency Madam Amina Benkhadra, Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM). Madam Amina Benkhadra was accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Drif, Wali Grand Wilaya de Casablanca (the Governor of Casablanca), Mr. Ng Tong San, Head of PETRONAS Morocco Operations and His Excellency Datuk Haji Mohd Nor Haji Atan, the Malaysian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco. The adventurers were greeted with a colourful musical ensemble playing Moroccan traditional welcome songs and tunes.
The 18-vehicle PETRONAS Trans Sahara 2004 expedition, under the flagship of the PETRONAS Adventure Team (PAT), began its journey in Khartoum, Sudan on 30 August 2004. From Sudan, the four-by-four convoy traversed Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, before finally entering Morocco. The vehicles had been shipped from Port Klang, Malaysia to Sudan by the Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Bhd (MISC), a PETRONAS subsidiary. MISC will also be responsible for transporting the vehicles back to Malaysia from Casablanca.
In his speech, Ng Tong San remarked: “The PETRONAS Adventure Team, embodies the pioneering spirit of PETRONAS which has been one of the company’s key factors for success.” He adds, “Africa is becoming more and more important to PETRONAS, with the company currently having business interests in 16 countries. In addition to Morocco, the other countries that PETRONAS operates in are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan and Togo.”
He added that in Morocco, PETRONAS is currently involved in two exploration blocks. “It is indeed a privilege for PETRONAS to be granted the trust and opportunity to be part of Morocco’s petroleum industry.”
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 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.
