Peru's 1,000th Caterpillar Mining Truck Put into Operation at Antamina

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The 1,000th Caterpillar (CAT) mining truck in Peru, delivered by Ferreyros to Compañía Minera Antamina, has been put into production at the Andean mine. The unit is a CAT 798 model, weighing 400 metric tons, and completed the full transfer from the port of discharge to the mine after arriving in Peru.

The truck's journey began at the Port of Houston in the United States, with a 5,370-kilometer sea leg, docking at Puerto de Chancay. Ferreyros and international freight forwarder Forbis Logistics jointly managed the related logistics.

The overland transfer after unloading was no small challenge. Faced with Peru's complex geography, the carrier deployed 13 oversized cargo vehicles; and because the complete unit was too large, the equipment had to be shipped disassembled into components, with one chassis component alone weighing 70 tons. The route passed through sections at altitudes of up to 4,500 meters.

After arriving at the mine, the CAT 798 truck entered the assembly phase. The Ferreyros technical team handled mechanical, electrical, and highly difficult welding work, ultimately getting the 10-meter-wide, 8-meter-high equipment running at the mine.

After the equipment was put into operation, Ferreyros and Caterpillar attended a commemorative delivery ceremony for Peru's 1,000th CAT truck at the Antamina mine site (Áncash), with the leadership of Compañía Minera Antamina present. The truck then joined the mine's production operations, expanding the mine's CAT 798 truck fleet to 45 units.

Santiago Basualdo, Central Manager of Large Mining at Ferreyros, said that the 1,000th truck is a historic milestone, and that this milestone would not have been possible without the passion and effort of the people involved; Peru's mining industry is able to lead the way because local teams work in the best possible manner, with excellence and productivity as their standard, which is a source of pride.

In addition to Antamina, CAT 798 trucks are also operating at major Peruvian mines such as Las Bambas, Cerro Verde, Toquepala, Cuajone, and Toromocho. The model has a payload capacity of 400 metric tons, the largest payload volume in its class, high availability, high speed, power that can be set individually for different mine types or applications, and a long engine service life—characteristics that help reduce cost per ton.