One of the world's biggest cement companies has been named as the potential new bulk supplier for Bermuda by businessman Clifton Lambert.

The news comes the day after it was revealed the final scheduled cement supply ship had departed the Island at the weekend, having delivered to the twin silos at Dockyard.

Mr. Lambert said he had entered into a ten-year commitment with France's Lafarge cement and building materials company, which has global reach including North and South America and an operation in Martinique in the Caribbean.

Mr. Lambert, from Devil's Hole, said he has invited the Bermuda Industrial Union to buy a shareholding in his new company, and would be inviting construction sector businesses SAL and Bierman's to also become major stakeholders in his new entity.

The Island is currently facing a cement supply crisis after a breakdown in the relationship between the Bermuda Cement Company, which has operated the Dockyard plant for 43 years, and landlord West End Development Corporation.

The cement company's lease will not be renewed beyond December 31 and it is advertising its business for sale, with the intention of closing for good on December 21.

No new operator is in place, raising the spectre of a potentially harmful interruption to the Island's bulk cement supplies.

"While Island Cement has not been contracted by the Government to operate the silos, we have formally approached Works and Engineering Minister Dennis Lister of our desire to operate this facility should the opportunity arise," said Mr. Lambert.

He said it was his company's intention to encourage the participation of qualified Bermudian corporate shareholders and management in the new business.

In a statement, Mr. Lambert said that, if things fall into place, Bermuda would be supplied with cement from Lafarge's French Antilles Terminal, which he said produced 700,000 metric tons per year. He went on to say that Falex Trading, 'the second largest independent cement trader in the Caribbean' was also involved in the agreement.

The statement refers to Falex Trading as being from the Dominican Republic, however checks show it is situated in the Netherlands Antillies and its biggest distribution project to date has been the shipping of 400 pallets of block to St. Maarten.

Because of the late arrival of Mr. Lambert's statement, it was impossible to verify details of his agreement in principal.

Alex DeCouto, president of the Construction Association of Bermuda, has raised concern about the viability of any cement supply deal that does not involved Cemex, the company that has been supplying the Island and is one of the biggest players in the world market.

Responding to that, Mr. Lambert said Lafarge is a match to Cemex and "can easily supply cement from the French Antilles cement terminal to Bermuda as it is a four-day voyage.

Additionally, both of my alliance partners own their own bulk vessels enabling us to logistically supply Bermuda at a reasonable price."According to the entrepreneur, his consultant is former incinerator plant manager Vincent Shih.Mr. Lambert, who in the past two weeks changed the name of his 2004 company Construction, Design & Development to Island Cement, said: "I have received supportive telephone calls from numerous working class Bermudians supporting our endeavour. I thank God for the opportunity to live in an Island where a man from Devil's Hole can be considered for this type of project." Late yesterday Opposition Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Jon Brunson repeated his call for a "time out" between Wedco and the Bermuda Cement Company in order to find a lasting solution.A number of years ago Wedco requested the cement company demolish its present plant and rebuild a new one nearby in exchange for a new 21-year lease. The company initially agreed but later discovered the cost would be around $15 million, and therefore uneconomical in terms of the lease on offer. After lengthy negotiations and a number of "good faith"temporary lease extensions Wedco announced it would not lease the company's dockyard site lease anymore after it said the company had gone back on previously agreed terms that involved selling a percentage of its shares.