Van der Hulst was appointed extraordinary captain in 1650. He served as captain of the Groningen in the First Anglo-Dutch War, being promoted to full captain in 1653, becoming flag captain of Vice-Admiral Witte de With on the Vrijheid, fighting in the Battle of the Gabbard and the Battle of Scheveningen. Van der Hulst was buried in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam; a marble grave memorial was later erected, a work of Artus de With. His name was later given to a Karel Doorman class frigate in 1993, the HNLMS Abraham van der Hulst.