Industry sources said that Iran would now probably complete the facilities in May; along with technical problems, it has also struggled with a shortage of labour. Crescent Petroleum, a shareholder in Dana and holds the gas-supply contract with Iran, had expected first deliveries in mid-2006, and the pipeline and gas-processing plants in UAE waters have long been complete. However, the extended negotiation over the imported gas price between Iran and Crescent Oil was unlikely to end until the plant and pipeline were ready, industry sources said. The deal became controversial in Iran last year after politicians said the country would not benefit from the exports because gas prices had risen sharply since the initial contract was signed. Iran later said it would not export to the UAE until it secured a higher price. In February, Iran's oil minister said the country would keep the gas for domestic consumption if it does not strike a deal, although industry sources said this was an empty threat as there is no pipeline linking Salman with Iran's domestic gas infrastructure. The initial agreement was to supply of 600m cuft/d, although Dana Gas' pipeline has a capacity of up to 1bn cuft/d. The company was originally set up to deliver gas to utilities and industrial users in the UAE, but with the agreement to import Iranian gas delayed, it has virtually no operating income and has looked for new routes for expansion. It bought Canadian oil and gas explorer Centurion Energy International in January for $979 million, a step in its strategy to expand the scope of its operations in the Middle East and North Africa.