and wealthy families, plans and interest grew in establishing an organization that would focus on trade with Asia. In 1602, Matelief was one of the founders of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company (the VOC). In May 1605, he departed as Admiral of a fleet of eleven ships to Asia with the command to damage the Spanish-Portuguese enemy as much as possible and to get a foot in the door of the profitable trade in spices and other products from the region. Matelief acted expeditiously. He besieged Malacca, a centre of the Portuguese power in Asia which had a strong Portuguese fleet, but was not successful.