Navigation through the Strait of Gibraltar

The name Straatvaart is not completely correct, because the trade on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula was also considered to be part of it, yet the most important goal of this trade were ports around the Mediterranean. Asides from the navigation to the Baltic, this navigation was an important pillar of the economy of the young Dutch Republic.

In the Mediterranean, there were several sub-areas on which the trade focused, such as the eastern coast of Spain, the south coast of France, several Italian ports, Northern Africa (called Barbary back then), Greece and the so-called Levant (the part of Western Asia on the Mediterranean).

Nature of the trade

The trade started at the end of the sixteenth century, when traders from the Republic started to transport grain from the Baltic states to the Mediterranean because there were large shortages there at that time. Wood and iron were also important products that were transported there. On the way back, products such as oil and wine were taken, but also more exotic goods like silk, dried fruits, saffron, etc. The trade originally went through the Republic as a transshipment point, but later in the eighteenth century, they also sailed directly from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean.

It concerned considerable amounts of ships, in the first half of the seventeenth century there were 400-500 Dutch ships yearly, with exceptions up to 800. In the eighteenth century the number went down but stayed considerable, until the trade lost much of its importance after the Napoleonic wars.

Direction for the Levantine trade

The character of the Straatvaart was more erratic and less organised than for example the trade outside of Europe. There were many political circumstances at play that the skippers and traders needed to manage, the markets for buying and selling often changed and there was the always present danger of the Northern African ('Barbary') privateers. Especially in the Levant and the surrounding areas the political circumstances and obtaining trade permits were often problematic. Also because of this, in 1625 the 'Directie van de Levantse Handel en Navigatie op de Middellandse Zee' ('Direction of the Levantine trade and Navigation on the Mediterranean Sea') was founded, which tried to streamline this trade through consuls, trade passes and political contacts. The costs of the direction were paid from freight taxes that were levied in Amsterdam on cargoes towards the Mediterranean. The direction would continue to exist until 1826.

Admiralty

In times of war, Dutch ships sailing towards the Mediterranean often sailed in convoys protected by admiralty ships. This is the reason that a number of admiralty ships that were lost during convoy duty are also added to this route.