The port opened in 1826, when the Aire and Calder Navigation was completed, connecting to the River Ouse at what is now the town of Goole.

It has good road and rail transport links, and deals with about £800 million worth of trade each year.

Whilst the location of Goole as a settlement has been around since Anglo-Saxon times,[5] the land surrounding the area of Goole was marshy, and only drained when King Charles I granted Cornelius Vermuyden the right to drain the land and divert the River Don into the Ouse, rather than the Trent.

"[11] The proprietors of the canal sought to exploit the increasing coal trade which was being mined further inland in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

[14] The proprietors of Goole docks were keen to achieve foreign trade status, a desired marque awarded by the Board of Customs.

[15] By 1840 Goole was exporting 100,000 tonnes (110,000 tons) of coal each year; four times the amount being shipped out of Hull docks.

[25][26] Despite the small size of both locks, they could hold about 60 ships and 200 barges, and the nascent port was known to be quite efficient at the transshipment of goods.

[28] In 1838, the port was expanded by the addition of Ouse Dock (which still exists) and was noted for is width of 58 feet (18 m), built to accommodate paddle steamers.

In 2010, it lost a contract with TransAtlantic UK for a thrice-weekly sailing to Sweden which regularly carried 400,000 tonnes (440,000 tons) per annum.

The owners of Goole, ABP, retained the contract, but it was moved to the new 10-acre (4 ha) terminal at Hull King George Dock.

One of the benefits of using Goole for offloading vehicles was its ability to maintain a constant water level, being fed by the Aire and Calder Navigation.

[53][54] This system had been developed by W. H. Bartholomew in an effort to stop the coal trade being monopolised by the railways, with the first hoist being opened in the late 1860s.

[59] The docks at Goole branched out into handling containers, most usually on short-sea services to other parts of the UK or Northern Europe.

Since then, volumes have dropped, a decline attributed to larger ships for the container transport lines, which cannot access the port at Goole.

[17] In the 1950s, the steamships carried on being sponsored by the British Transport Commission, but operated by AHL (Associated Humber Lines).

[69][70] Because the port was not planned as one system but constructed over a period of several decades, the layout makes ship movement difficult: a ship bound for the West Dock needs to make two ninety-degree turns if it enters through the Ouse Dock, or three if via the Ocean Lock.

The acreage and opening dates of each dock are listed below:[71][72] The total length of quaysides is three miles (4.8 km).