to intercept suspicious and unknown vessels at sea, and had on occasion boarded vessels to prevent the escape of fugitives and the transit of contraband. After a tour of duty in the Arabian Sea, her role in Apollo ended. She was replaced by another Halifax-class frigate to serve much the same role. Vancouver has spent time flying the Canadian flag more locally, including a trip to Oregon in 2003 and a visit to her namesake city of Vancouver to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her being commissioned. 2011 Libyan civil war On 10 July 2011, Vancouver left her home port of Esquimalt to join the NATO-led air-sea Operation Unified Protector during the 2011 Libyan civil war. She was delayed by a small fire in her boiler. The fire was detected quickly and dealt with, delaying her departure only by an hour. The overall Canadian Forces contribution to Operation Unified Protector is known as Operation Mobile. She relieved , which had been on patrol in the region since the early spring. Operation Mobile closed on 1 November 2011, Vancouver was transferred to the NATO-led Operation Active Endeavour on 15 November 2011. She set course for her home port of CFB Esquimalt on 10 January 2012. Refit On 6 May 2013 Vancouver was turned over to Seaspan Marine Corporation's Victoria Shipyards, to start an 18-month mid-life upgrading and modernization program. The HCM/FELEX refit was completed in May 2014. Harpoon Block II testing In October 2015, Vancouver, along with and , participated in the United States Navy's Task Group Exercise, a naval exercise held off southern California. In April 2016, Vancouver was used as the testbed for the launch of the new Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missile, increasing the land strike capabilities of the frigate class. Pacific deployment In June 2016, Calgary, Vancouver, and sailed from Esquimalt to participate in the RIMPAC naval exercise. Following RIMPAC, Vancouver was sent on a training cruise around the Pacific, making several port visits and participating in the Royal Australian Navy's training exercise "Kakadu". Vancouver was sent to take part in the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th Birthday Celebrations on 19–21 November 2016. However, following the earthquake in New Zealand's South Island, the frigate was re-directed to Kaikoura to aide in humanitarian and disaster relief operations. In 2018, Vancouver deployed to the Pacific, participating in training with the Fijian Navy. In June and July 2018, Vancouver, along