Page 45 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
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tel / of which they make black water / that they drink (Commelin c, p. ). It was only at the end of the th century that coffee became an important commodity from this region. From the s onwards, the VOC assembled an impressive military force of big heavily armed ships in the Arabian Sea aimed against the Portuguese. After , the VOC added their annual blockades of Goa to this highly militarised situation. There was a constant risk of con- frontations with heavily armed Portuguese (and later also English) vessels. Visiting vessels therefore needed to be heavily armed or escorted by another defensible vessel. Although the VOC was not able to expel the Portuguese from this region, they were able to a large extent to frustrate Portuguese trade and shipping. After the military successes of Van Goens on the east coast, the VOC focussed on the west coast of India The Malabar Coast was believed to be a threat to the VOC in Ceylon if the Portu- guese used it as the base for operations to recapture Ceylon. Pepper was the prized commodity there. Eventually, after several military actions the Malabar Coast was brought under VOC control in . The main trade post was in Cochin, but along the coast various fortifications were constructed. A position on the Malabar Coast pepper market meant that the VOC was less dependent on Indonesian and Malaysian pepper producers. Strait of Malacca Map .: This map shows the strategic location of the Strait of Malacca in the intra-Asian network Due to its highly strategic position, the area of Malacca warrants separate attention. Right from the start of Dutch shipping in Asia, the Strait of Malacca was an important military destination being the main connection between the Far East and the Indonesian Archipelago on one side, and the Indian Ocean on the other. The Sunda Strait, the second important connection, was The Dutch expansion in Asia up to
