Abstract

The port system of Ho Chi Minh City including 34 ports, serves as the gateway to the South (including the South East and the Mekong Delta) in export and import activities. In which contribute a huge amount of pollutants to the atmosphere in Ho Chi Minh City. The objective of this study is to: (i) Calculating air emissions from ports system in Ho Chi Minh city using the SPDGIZ model which emits a large amount of air pollutants such as sulfur oxide (SOX), nitrogen oxide (NOX), fine dust (PM2.5, PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon monoxide (CO) from large ships (Ocean going vessels - OGVs), towing ships (Harbor Crafts - HCs), cargo handling equipment (Cargo handling equipment - CHE) and other vehicles (Heavy trucks – HVs); (ii) Using dispersion model TAPM-AERMOD to assess the impact of port operations to air quality in surouding port area; (iii) Proposing abatement measures based on the results of simulation to reduce emissions/ air pollution levels. The results of emission inventory show that the total port emissions are largely NOX and SOX mainly from large ships (OGVs) and cargo handling equipment (CHE) due to the use of heavy oil and diesel which have high sulfur content. The results show that the time at which a mooring boat is the most time consuming (accounting for over 90% of total emissions from OGVs).