Basil Read Uses Aconex for Saint Helena Airport Project

JAMESTOWN, SAINT HELENA--(Marketwired - Apr 9, 2013) - Aconex, provider of the world's most widely used online project collaboration solutions for the infrastructure, construction, power, mining, and oil and gas industries, today announced that Basil Read (Pty) Ltd, a leading global construction and engineering firm based in South Africa, is using the Aconex Online Collaboration Platform for the design and building of the Saint Helena Airport. Saint Helena, a British overseas territory, is one of the remotest islands in the world, located in the south Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,900 kilometers from the coast of Africa. This project will provide the first access to the island by air.

"The logistics of this historic project are quite challenging because of Saint Helena's remoteness, rocky terrain and lack of infrastructure," said Jimmy Johnston, executive director, special projects, at Basil Read. "The Aconex platform helps our team stay on schedule with secure, centralized information management and project-wide collaboration processes. Having a permanent record of all communications, decisions and actions in one location supports maximum efficiency and accountability for everyone on the project." 

The airport project for the Saint Helena Government is valued at approximately £250 million and funded by the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). Its primary purpose is to promote economic self-sufficiency for the island through tourism and related business. The airport is expected to open for service in 2016.

Fully Provisioned Commercial Airport

The project's scope of construction work includes:

• A concrete runway of 1,850 meters, which will support commercial aircraft such as the Airbus A319, Boeing 737-700 and Lockheed L100
• A rock-fill embankment of approximately 8 million cubic meters, with a 750-meter culvert
• An airport terminal building of 3,500 square meters, with support infrastructure
• Air traffic control and safety facilities
• Bulk storage for 6 million liters of aviation and diesel fuel
• An airport access road of 14 kilometers

In preparation for the project, Basil Read built an entire supply chain from South Africa to Saint Helena. The firm chartered an ocean-going vessel to transport equipment, supplies and personnel; constructed a temporary dock and housing for on-site project team members; and set up fuel storage and communications links. 

"We're pleased to support Basil Read in this landmark infrastructure development," said Hervé Hamelin, Aconex general manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa. "It's the type of rugged, complex project that demonstrates the breadth and depth of the Aconex collaboration system. The Saint Helena Airport will open the island to new opportunities for entrepreneurship and economic growth." 

About Aconex
Aconex provides the world's most widely used Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for managing information, processes and people throughout the life cycle of construction and engineering projects across multiple industries. The Aconex suite of solutions -- secure, neutral and centralized -- enables project managers to reduce the cost and risk inherent in capital projects of all sizes and improve efficiency, productivity and accountability for all project participants. Aconex has served projects valued at more than US$700 billion, with over 300,000 users. Clients include nine of the world's top ten engineering procurement and construction (EPC) firms, 23 of the 25 leading global design firms, and nearly all Fortune 500 construction and engineering firms. For more information and examples of Aconex in action, see www.aconex.com. Follow Aconex on Twitter at @aconex and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aconex.