Nanaimo is the third ship of her class, which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation . Nanaimo was laid down on 11 August 1995 at Halifax Shipyards Ltd., Halifax and was launched on 17 May 1996. She was officially commissioned into the CF on 10 May 1997, and carries the pennant number 702. She is assigned to Joint Task Force Pacific (formerly Maritime Forces Pacific) and is homeported at CFB Esquimalt.