PhilaPort

Condition Assessment of All Waterfront Structures
PhilaPort-pier80-&-84-operations

Ensuring Safe Terminal Operations

As a prominent local company with decades of experience, S. T. Hudson has a long history with PhilaPort, formally known as The Port Authority of Philadelphia. When PhilaPort needed a condition assessment of their waterfront structures, they knew they could trust S. T. Hudson’s expertise. With state-of-the-art technology and an in-house diving team, S. T. Hudson delivered a comprehensive assessment of all port facilities, equipping PhilaPort with the knowledge they needed to plan for the next 3-5 years of asset allocation and provide safe terminal operations.

Philaport-Project-Goals

Project Goals

Gaining a detailed overview of each facility’s condition is vital in ensuring funds are distributed appropriately. PhilaPort needed S. T. Hudson’s specialized services to plan repairs and maintenance, with the ultimate goal of establishing a due diligence inspection program.

Understand Needs of the Facilities

Before a plan could be established, it was necessary to assess the current state of each facility.

Develop a Maintenance Plan

Gathering and logging information was essential in putting together a comprehensive plan.

Prioritize & Execute Maintenance

With a complete report, PhilaPort could decide when and where to distribute funds.

Ensure Safe Terminal Operations

As one of the busiest ports in America, safe and efficient structures are vitally important.

Project Data Points

70
Days Of Dive Inspections
$1,149,359
Total Project Cost, Under Budget
5,000
Total Engineering Man-Hours
1,000
Pages of Reports

Our Team

Want to learn more about our individual expertise? Get to know our team!

Robert Hudson, P.E.

President and Chief Executive Officer
Robert Hudson, P.E. Robert Hudson, P.E.

Robert Hudson, P.E.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Hudson is a Senior Civil/Structural Engineer with over 40 years of experience in the design and construction of marine facilities. He has special expertise in construction methods and estimating. Over the course of his career, Mr. Hudson has been involved in a wide range of construction activities, with emphasis on marine structures, bridges and pile foundations.

In 2002, Mr. Hudson became President and Chief Operating officer of S. T. Hudson Engineers, Inc and continues to serve in that capacity today. Mr. Hudson is a Registered Professional Engineer in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. His professional affiliations include The Ports of Philadelphia Maritime Society; The Deep Foundation Institute; The American Society of Civil Engineers and The National Society of Professional Engineers.

James Thomas

Chief Operating Officer & Vice President
James Thomas James Thomas

James Thomas

Chief Operating Officer & Vice President

Mr. Thomas is Hudson’s Chief Operating Officer and has over 35 years of broad experience in the planning, design, management and execution of marine construction and dredging projects.

Mr. Thomas has worked on projects throughout the United States, the Caribbean, South America and the Middle East. His marine construction and dredging experience includes participation in small to large scale capital works, maintenance and superfund projects. He has managed the construction of offshore ocean ship berthing facilities as well as the construction of harbor berth facilities and terminals.

Leslie (Hudson) Gerhard

Vice President
Leslie (Hudson) Gerhard Leslie (Hudson) Gerhard

Leslie (Hudson) Gerhard

Vice President

Ms. Gerhard is Vice President at S. T. Hudson Engineers, Inc. with over 15 years of experience in marketing, company operations, contract administration, and client relationships. She is responsible for day-to-day office operations, generating and overseeing proposal submissions, marketing efforts, contract administration, team recruitment, and coordination and administration of the summer internship program. In addition, she is involved in developing business among existing clients and new clients which contribute significantly to corporate revenues.

Ms. Gerhard is part of the fourth generation of Hudson family members working in the business, working side by side with her father, Robert S. Hudson, P.E., to lead S. T. Hudson Engineers, Inc.

Anthony DePasquale, P.E.

Vice President & Director of Marine Engineering and Environmental Services
Anthony DePasquale, P.E. Anthony DePasquale, P.E.

Anthony DePasquale, P.E.

Vice President & Director of Marine Engineering and Environmental Services

Mr. DePasquale is a Civil & Geo-technical Engineer with 37 years of experience as a designer, construction manager, negotiator, and permitting consultant with the US Army Corps of Engineers. He specializes in the design, management, and construction of flood protection systems, bulkhead rehabilitation, and waste and dredge disposal containment facilities.

In addition, he has reviewed and negotiated numerous construction contract claims, permitting issues, and engineering disputes. Mr. DePasquale's experience has given S.T. Hudson valuable insight into the permitting process and environmental impact assessments from the viewpoint of the USACE and other regulatory agencies.

William Jenkins

Vice President & Director of Marine Services
William Jenkins William Jenkins

William Jenkins

Vice President & Director of Marine Services

Mr. Jenkins has 17 years of experience and a comprehensive knowledge of various hydrographic technologies and methods.

Recently, Mr. Jenkins has applied his talents to implementing various multibeam hydrographic surveys for ship navigation safety, object detection, clearance surveys, sediment transfer surveys, pre- and post-dredge surveys, and bridge inspection scour monitoring.

Project Details

With a long history of working with PhilaPort, S. T. Hudson is well-acquainted with the port’s piers and waterfront structures. This intimate knowledge made S. T. Hudson an ideal candidate to assess PhilaPort’s structures and deliver a maintenance plan that best served the area. From in-house diving services to precise construction estimating, S. T. Hudson was able to showcase a range of abilities through a full spectrum of services.

PhilaPort is one of the largest networks of shipping terminals on the East Coast. Ensuring safe and efficient operations is vital to the city and the economy. With a unique combination of local expertise and in-house diving and inspection capabilities, S. T. Hudson was the ideal candidate to complete a condition assessment of 11 of PhilaPort’s waterfront structures.

As an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PhilaPort operates under a budget provided by the state, so it’s imperative that they allocate these funds wisely to best serve the city. S. T. Hudson helped them prioritize repairs by developing a sound maintenance plan that would carry them through the following 5 years. In the end, the client was impressed with Hudson’s efficiency and attention to detail, as well as the fact that they came in under budget—leading to future projects, which are currently ongoing.

Our Services

The Beginning
  • Conferring with PhilaPort, as well as several historically underutilized business, who were a part of the project.
Planning the Inspections
  • The goal was to prioritize inspections for the piers that had the most concerns. Most of the piers are over 100 years old, but thanks to S. T. Hudson’s longstanding history with the company, there are original drawings and documentation to help plan.
In the Field
  • S.T. Hudson’s in-house diving team conducted the inspections with careful planning to ensure the port experienced zero interruptions in operations. This was achieved thanks to S. T. Hudson’s local knowledge and cultivated experience.
The Outcome
  • After field notes were generated and the reports were presented to the board members at the conclusion of the project, the response was overwhelmingly positive. PhilaPort moved forward with confidence that they could make effective changes. In addition, they were pleased that the project came in under budget.

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