The ship will spend 200 days in the Arabian Sea, taking over for HMCS Regina in Operation Artemis, and will "detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity by patrolling and conducting maritime security operations in her area of responsibility," a Canadian Forces press release states.

Canada is among 26 countries taking part in Operation Artemis, which works to ensure maritime security in the Middle East.

HMCS Toronto is based in Halifax and has a crew of 225 personnel. The ship also has a Sea King helicopter air detachment and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

"This deployment also allows us to execute any number of missions across a broad spectrum of operations, including humanitarian assistance, counter-terrorism, regional military engagement, regional capacity building and international diplomacy," Lt.-Gen. Stuart Beare, commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, said in the release.