Italian truck specialist Iveco has delivered 131 Astra heavy trucks to Algerian state-owned petroleum company Entreprise Nationale de Geophysique (ENAGEO) for logistics and transport support in seismic surveys across the North African country.
According to Iveco, the truck fleet is specially fitted to operate in the extreme conditions found in much of the countrys vast desert areas. The delivery includes 4×4 and 6×6 all-wheel drive vehicles for logistics and support that use the Astra HD9 truck model as a base. They have been designed and built in record time for a public tender won at the end of last year.
Iveco said the job order included a variety of specialised configurations and versions, such as vehicles equipped with fuel and water tanks, trucks for transporting people, tractors and refrigerated vehicles – all of which have been designed and built to work in the desert on extremely rugged terrain and in the most adverse weather conditions.
With Astra being Ivecos specialised brand for the heavy off-road industry, the working conditions the trucks are expected to face will demonstrate the HD9 models extremely robust and versatile nature, the truck maker claimed.
Features that have been developed specifically for the mission that these vehicles will face include special reinforced leaf springs at the front, ADR systems for transporting hazardous materials, a Steyr 2000 transfer unit, enlarged tanks and special desert tyres to handle the long and uneven desert tracks, Iveco said in a statement.
In addition the Iveco Astra HD9 vehicles are also distinguished by their heavy-duty components, including a broad 820mm stainless steel chassis, with resistance figures of 530 MPa and sections with large dimensions, Iveco added.
The Astra HD9 also sports a closed-loop undercarriage shoulder for added strength and stability of the entire chassis structure, and an advanced driveline with simple electronic architecture for reliability, it said.
ENAGEO is part of the Algerian government-owned SONATRACH group, which is a global player in the extraction, energy, oil and gas sector. The company operates mainly in Algeria but is also active in Mali, Libya, Nigeria and Egypt, as well as in some European countries, Latin America and the USA.
