The relative ease of this win convinced the Dutch government to try something bigger. Dunkirk was the major Spanish port in the north. It caused a lot of damage to Dutch merchants and fishermen. Maintaining the permanent blockade was quite expensive. Capturing it would also give the Dutch a bargaining chip with France and England. It was an ambitious target though and two earlier attempts (1594, 1595) to land an army close by had failed. A safer bet was to use Dutch-held Ostend to the north as a base of operation. Only two obstacles remained between the two ports: the strong fort of Fort Albert just south of Ostend, and the port city of Nieuwpoort. It was decided to land an army right in front of Nieuwpoort, take it and the fort, and then march to Dunkirk.