The M/V NAMAO is a 33.6 m research vessel, owned and operated by the LWRC. She was built in 1975 and served as a buoy tender for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Aids to Navigation Program until 1997 when the Program was privatized and the NAMAO was put up for disposal through Crown Assets. The LWRC was formed in 1998 and the CCG agreed to operate the ship on a cost-recovery basis until 2005 when ownership was transferred to the LWRC.

The vessel requires nine crew members – Captain, Chief Officer, Chief and Second Engineers, Deckhands (4) and cook – and can accommodate up to seven science crew on overnight passages. The ship’s capacity is 40 persons for day trips.