The purpose of this voyage was to deliver a gift to Sultan Mohammed III as a token of their strong friendship and enduring alliance.

The gift consisted of two chests of porcelain, a saber, a powder horn, two elegant golden watches, a ring, two Dutch rugs, and a selection of coffee and tea.

Dabenis immediately set sail after unloading the gifts to avoid any further formalities and invitations that could potentially incur additional expenses for the Dutch Republic.

[18] The second letter explained that this declaration of war stemmed primarily from an incident wherein Dutch ships attacked a Moroccan vessel, mistaking it for an Algerian one.

In 1775, Captain Dabenis was replaced by Flag Officer Hartsinck, who was succeeded in turn (after the brief interim appointment of Lodewijk van Bylandt) by Daniel Pichot in 1776.

A blockade of the Moroccan coast and ports was initiated by Bylandt, Picker, and Kinsbergen, who commanded a force consisting of eight to twelve warships.

Instead, they were allowed to operate freely in the country and received official passports from the Sultan to facilitate their trading activities, which contributed significantly to Morocco's economy.

[24] Van Bylandt responded with a force of four warships that intercepted and grievously damaged the two galleys in Beffi Bay, which caused the Moroccan navy to retreat to port for over a month.

[25] Following this lull, Moroccan warships again ran the blockade, successfully capturing the Dutch cargo ship Maria Catharina and its 35 crewmen in the month of August.

[28][26] The three Moroccan warships eluded the Dutch, but it their haste they all catastrophically shipwrecked; Taibi Velalou near Larache and, later, Ali Perez and the xebec at the entrance of Marmora.

[32][33][34][8][35][36] These negotiations were jeopardized the following day when, unaware of the treaty, two Dutch frigates pursued four Moroccan galiots near Arzilla, causing significant damage to one of them despite their flying a white flag.