Ukraine’s only submarine, the Zaporozye, will re-enter service in early 2011, after undergoing a major ten year overhaul, Ukraine Navy chief of staff Rear Admiral Yuriy Ilyin has said.

The 91m-long submarine has a surface speed of 16.4kt and a submerged speed of 16kt and was built in 1972 under the Nato classification, according to Zee News.

The diesel-electric submarine had been undergoing repairs since 1991 with technical maintenance support from Russia.

The submarine will start its sea trails in December which will continue through May 2011, according to RIA Novosti.

The submarine was part of the USSR Northern Fleet which was turned over to the Black Sea Fleet and was later adopted by the Ukranian Navy in 1997.