Marine & Ports Services assistant director Michael Dolding said engineers from his department had been in talks with a US company to secure motors of the correct power and with the necessary complex gearing for the job.

Mr. Dolding estimated the motors would be ready within two or three months and then there would follow a host of planned improvements aimed at returning the Southampton landmark to its former glory.

The rotating beam emitted by the Victorian cast iron lighthouse has been missing from the Bermuda night sky since Hurricane Fabian ravaged the island in September 2003.

The optic used to rotate in a float of mercury. But Fabian's ferocity caused the lighthouse to rock and some of the toxic liquid metal leaked out.

Marine & Ports then decided it was necessary to replace the mercury float with a mechanical bearing and in the meantime, four powerful halogen lamps have been attached to the railings outside the lantern room as a temporary measure.

"We completed the installation of the mechanical bearing six months ago," Mr. Dolding said. "Once we'd done that, the truth was we did not know whether the motors would work until we put them in and tried them. It turned out that the motors were not powerful enough to reliably drive the optic around and so they had to be replaced.

"That meant going to a specialised manufacturer in the US. Our engineers have used springs to measure the torque required to turn the optic and I am advised they are in talks with a manufacturer to produce equipment to meet our needs."

Some of the equipment would have to be custom-built to meet Gibbs Hill's requirements, Mr. Dolding said, and this would take time.

Once the new motors are installed, a large-scale revamp will take place. This will include replacement of the gallery railings, from where thousands of visitors every year enjoy spectacular views of the island.

The century-old optic is encased in the protective glass panels of the lantern room, some of which are cracked. Replacement of all the panels is planned, said Mr. Dolding.

"We recognise the importance of the lighthouse, not just as a navigational aid, but also as a local landmark," Mr. Dolding, who himself lived in the lighthouse for five years, said.

"One of the terms of reference for the modernisation of the lighthouse was that, from an historical perspective, we wanted to change as little as possible.

"The old mercury float was a health hazard and we have already achieved our primary aim of removing it and replacing it with a mechanical bearing."

The Gibbs Hill optic comprises mirrors and lenses, fashioned by expert craftsman at the turn of the century, and it sends out a beam of light so intensified that it can be seen by ships 26 miles off shore, the approximate distance to the horizon.

"That distance is as far as the curvature of the earth allows the light to be seen from, but I've heard that people in aircraft have seen the light from 50 or 60 miles away," Mr. Dolding said.

Even in these days of global positioning satellite (GPS) technology, which enables mariners to pinpoint their exact position on the map, Mr. Dolding said the lighthouse still had an important navigational role to play.

"If you're on a boat on a rough night off Bermuda, then the lighthouse is a very welcoming thing to see," Mr. Dolding said.

"Things like GPS are electronic aids to navigation but in the end, that's all they are ? aids ? and they can sometimes go wrong."

He said there had been cases of captains, who despite having GPS navigational systems, had sailed into Bermuda reefs.

One famous case was that of the Mexican supertanker, the that was grounded on the outer reefs in 1983 with more than 100,000 tons ? or nearly 31 million gallons ? of crude oil on board. The incident could have resulted in a major environmental disaster.

The then-Environment Minister, Senator Gerald Simons, said at the time: "Had (the ship) broken up, a cordon of oil one square metre would have formed around the island, finding its way into every bay, nook and cranny."

Mr. Dolding, who has worked for Marine & Ports for 25 years, recalled: "They had two captains aboard, as well as radar and GPS, and conditions were clear. Most years, there are two or three cases of ships that Harbour Radio detect heading towards the island on a dangerous course.

"We have the two lighthouses in Bermuda, at Gibbs Hill and St. David's, but also five other beacons on the outer reefs. Lighthouses are an ancient technique of aiding navigation, but they are visible and are still undoubtedly a valuable asset."