The ship was built in 1986 in Vancouver, British Columbia by Versatile Pacific Shipyards Limited as part of the CG Program Vessels.

Capable of carrying 1,086 long tons (1,103 t) of diesel fuel, Martha L. Black has a maximum range of 14,500 nautical miles (26,900 km; 16,700 mi) at a cruising speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) and can stay at sea for up to 120 days.

[1][5] The ship was named for Martha L. Black, a woman from Chicago, Illinois who immigrated to Canada and was a pioneering settler of Yukon.

[1][2] The vessel was initially assigned to the Western Region, but swapped places with sister ship CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier.

The ferries, which connect the Quebec communities of Sorel-Tracy and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola, had been docked after ice conditions had become severe enough that the large icebreaker CCGS Amundsen needed reinforcement.

[9] In 2016, Martha L. Black suffered damage to her three engines and remained out of service for three months, docked at Cacouna, Quebec.