Complex sentence: The Admiralty colleges had the task of coastal waters and the commercial fleet include the VOC to protect, this levy tax funds through convoys and licenses (import and export duties) and thus pay for the equipment of the navy.
Split into simpler sentences: The Admiralty colleges had the task of protecting coastal waters and the commercial fleet, which included the VOC. To support this, they had the power to levy tax funds through convoys and licenses (import and export duties) and thus pay for the equipment of the navy.