Hull Goolepha

What Hull Goolepha does

Hull & Goole Port Health Authority is a Joint Board local authority partnership established by statutory instrument in 1887, constituted by Parliament and operated jointly by Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and North Lincolnshire Council. It exercises exclusive statutory jurisdiction over one of the largest port areas in the UK, covering the Humber ports complex — the largest UK port complex by tonnage and the fourth largest share of world tonnage in Northern Europe, handling over £75bn of trade annually. The Authority operates as a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and delivers regulation, inspection, and certification services across imported food control, ship sanitation, infectious disease control, pollution control, and food hygiene rating.

The Authority operates two designated Border Control Posts — Hull (GBHUL21) and Killingholme (GBKIL05) — both running seven days a week, plus a 24/7 emergency standby service. Its core technology stack is built on government-mandated platforms: PHILIS (Port Health Information System) for payment processing and pre-payment arrangements, IPAFFS for consignment pre-notification, and MCP Destin8 for tracking. Service delivery is carried out by approximately 14-15 staff and contractors, including specialist Port Health Inspectors (Environmental Health Practitioners), Portal Official Veterinarians, Port Health Support Officers, and administrative staff, with Port Medical Officers provided by UKHSA.

The Authority is funded through an annual levy from the three constituent Riparian Authorities, supplemented by cost-recovery fees for official controls, Export Health Verification Certificates (£96 per certificate), Organic Certificate of Inspection endorsements (£50 per COI), Ship Sanitation inspections, Environmental Permits, IUU Catch Certificate verification, and plastic kitchenware import controls. There is no traditional go-to-market motion: services are mandated by legislation, demand is driven by port trade flows, and customer segments are importers, shipping companies, port-estate food businesses, fishery importers, and industrial operators. The entity is not investable in the conventional PE/VC sense as it is a government statutory body.

Name

Hull Goolepha

Legal name

Hull & Goole Port Health Authority

Website

https://hullandgoolepha.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hull & Goole Port Health Authority is a statutory Joint Board partnership, established 1887, that regulates public, animal, and environmental health across the Humber ports — the UK's largest port complex by tonnage — operating Border Control Posts at Hull and Killingholme for importers and shipping companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port Health Regulation

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Port and Harbor Operations (488310)

akta.pro primary industry

Vessel Vetting & Due Diligence Services (SIRE/CDI, Terminal Vetting) (TLAHANAE)

Keywords

• Port health services
• Imported food control
• Ship sanitation inspection
• Infectious disease control
• Border inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston-upon-Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Levy: Annual levy charged against each of the 3 constituent Riparian Authorities (Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council) to fund core operations.
2. Official Controls Fees: Cost-recovery fees charged to importers for Border Control Post inspections, documentary checks, identity and physical checks on imported food and feed products.
3. Export Health Certificates: Locally set rate of £96.00 per certificate for Export Health Verification Certificates.
4. Organic Import Certification: £50 per Certificate of Inspection (COI) for endorsement of organic goods.
5. Ship Sanitation Inspection: Charges reviewed annually and agreed nationally for Ship Sanitation Inspections and bacterial/legionella sampling.
6. Environmental Permits: Application and subsistence fees for Part B Environmental Permits at nationally agreed rates.
7. IUU Catch Certificates: Cost recovery charges for Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated Fishing regulation catch certificate verification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hull Goolepha (Hull & Goole Port Health Authority) is a statutory Joint Board providing port health regulatory services at the Ports of Hull and Goole. Its core work comprises imported food control and consignment inspection, ship sanitation certification under the WHO International Health Regulations, and infectious disease control / public-health response for vessels and people entering the Humber ports.

Product overview

The Hull & Goole Port Health Authority is a Joint Board local authority partnership established in 1887, providing port health regulatory services across one of the largest port jurisdictions in the UK. The authority operates through Border Control Posts at Hull (GBHUL21) and Killingholme (GBKIL05), offering a portfolio of interconnected regulatory and inspection services including Pollution Control, Infectious Disease Control, Food Safety, Imported Food Control, Ship Inspection, and Food Hygiene Rating Scheme administration. The service portfolio also includes supplementary certification and permit services such as Ship Sanitation Certificates, Environmental Permits, Organic Import Certification, Export Health Verification Certificates, IUU Catch Certificate Verification, and Plastic Kitchenware Import Controls. The authority operates a 24/7 emergency response capability for public health-related emergencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Imported Food Control & Consignment Inspection

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £75bn worth of trade handled annually through Humber ports
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hull City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2011One of three constituent Riparian Authorities that fund and govern the Joint Board. The Town Clerk at Hull City Council serves as Clerk to the Authority.
• East Riding of Yorkshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2011One of three constituent Riparian Authorities that fund and govern the Joint Board.
• North Lincolnshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2011One of three constituent Riparian Authorities that fund and govern the Joint Board.
• HM Border ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency ensuring consistency of enforcement in border controls.
• Maritime and Coastguard AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency working with the Authority to ensure consistency of enforcement and effective liaison.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational lead body for public health matters at ports. Provides Port Medical Officers (Doctors on-call) for the Authority.
• Humber Local Resilience ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Authority is a member of the Humber Local Resilience Forum as a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
• Humber Port Welfare CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganised by the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, brings together charities and organisations with interest in health and welfare of seafarers.
• Hull History CentreminorOthersHolds most of the Authority's archive material in its collection. Online catalogue available on their website.
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional body for environmental health practitioners. The Authority maintains close links and has resources listed on CIEH Port Health website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA): UK government agency responsible for animal and plant health controls at the border, working alongside PHAs at BCPs. Comparable overlap on imported products of animal origin, organic certification, and IUU catch certificate verification.
• Food Standards Agency: UK national regulator that sets the food safety, food hygiene rating, and import control frameworks that PHAs enforce at the local level. Not a direct operational peer, but defines the standards and coordinates BCP policy across all UK port health authorities including HGPHA.

Direct peers

• Mersey Port Health Authority: Statutory PHA covering the Port of Liverpool and Birkenhead — comparable BCP designation for products of animal origin, ship sanitation, and food/feed controls. Directly comparable in service portfolio and regulatory remit.
• Manchester Port Health Authority: Port health authority serving a major UK inland/sea port complex with BCP designation. Performs food import controls, ship sanitation, environmental permitting and food hygiene enforcement — same statutory function as HGPHA.
• Dover Port Health Authority: Port health authority at one of the UK's busiest roll-on/roll-off ferry ports. Provides the same mix of food import controls, ship sanitation, infectious disease control, and environmental permitting as HGPHA.
• Tees Port Health Authority: Port health authority serving the Teesport complex — major UK bulk and container port. Provides the same statutory inspection and certification services as HGPHA, including BCP operations and ship sanitation.
• Portsmouth Port Health Authority: Smaller UK statutory port health authority covering Portsmouth Harbour — comparable mix of ship sanitation, food controls and infectious disease response. Same statutory basis under Public Health (Ships) Regulations.
• Port of London Authority / City of London Port Health Authority: Statutory port health authority for the UK's largest port complex by trade value, performing BCP inspections, ship sanitation and food/feed controls. Closest functional analogue to HGPHA in terms of statutory mandate, BCP operations, and revenue mix.
• Bristol Port Health Authority: Statutory PHA at the Port of Bristol, handling BCP inspections, ship sanitation and food/feed controls. Functionally identical role with similar revenue mix from fees and levy funding.
• Southampton Port Health Authority: Local-authority port health authority serving the Port of Southampton — a major UK container and ro-ro port. Comparable scope: BCP inspections, ship sanitation, food safety enforcement for vessels and port-based businesses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hull-goolepha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hull Goolepha