There were no more assaults on Ostend throughout the rest of 1602, but there was an outbreak of pestilence during the summer for both armies causing loss of life and disease. Another thirty six Dutch infantry companies arrived in November 1602 on a rotation replacing those who had stayed the longest. Spanish attempts to prevent the passage of the ships entering Ostend by bombardment failed. The Spanish had built a large platform near the Western dunes and contented themselves with bombarding the town from there.