Mining is underway at the Sukari Gold Mine in Marsa Alam, just off the Red Sea coast in South-West Egypt.
The mine, under the control of PGM was built from scratch, with the tyre service workshop and offices constructed on-site to ensure the fleet of CAT785C Dump Trucks are always looked after.
24 hour service is on hand to keep vehicle downtime to a minimum, and a full tyre management structure is in place to ensure that the 51" tyres are working to the best of their ability in tough conditions, with average temperatures often around the 40°C mark.
A second fleet of CAT785 Dump Trucks is currently being prepared for the next stage of mining developments. For the project a new $400k 8x4 Iveco 430E service truck has been put into operation. Featuring a 52 t.m crane and remote 57" OTR tyre handling kit, it also has a fully computerised OTR air drive system and a tropical climate cooling system to cope with the heat.
Sukari is the first large scale gold mine in modern Egypt, with previous gold excavations carried out by the Pharaohs and Romans. Recent increases in resource estimates currently put the amount at nearly 13 million oz, making it one of the biggest discoveries of the past decade. Mining began in February 2009, and the first gold is expected to be produced in Q3 2009.
