March 29, 1991 Classifieds 986-6222 Office, Editorial 935-2131

Display Advertising 980-0511

Distribution 986-1337

72 pages

sh-flow cut

N. Van dive co. seeks
$5M for gas-line work

A LOCAL deep-sea diving company stands to lose mil-
lions of dollars in contracts this year due to a cash-flow
crunch caused by a $5-million debt owed te it for the work
it carried out on the $340-million Vancouver Island natural

HEWS photo Mike Wakefield

Faith and hope

TODAY is Good Friday, the day on which millions of Christians around the world mark the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Since the second century, this day, on which Jesus was said to
die for the sins of the world, has been marked with prayer and fasting.

RE Eas ae coats SORTS See SRP

gas pipeline.

North Vancouver-based Can-
Dive Services Ltd. is in the pro-
cess of issuing a written statement
of claim to Northern Construction
Co. (NCC), Westcoast Energy
Inc. and INTEC Engineering Inc.
detailing the work Can-Dive has
done on the massive pipeline pro-
ject.

Can-Dive was subcontracted by
NCC, the main contractor for the
underwater section of the natural
gas pipeline project, to assist in
laying the pipeline and installing
Pipeline support structures.

INTEC Engineering provided
NCC with tender and engineering
design information. ‘West Coast
Energy is the company responsible
for overseeing construction
Management and project engineer-
ing.

Pacific Coast’ Energy Corp.,
equally owned by Alberta Energy
Co. and West Coast Energy, is
responsible for constructing the
gus pipeline.

The work started by Can-Dive
in October was to take an
estimated 35 days based on a rela-
tively smooth seabed profile.

But the job stretched into five
months of work as Can-Dive en-
countered steep underwater slopes.

The company has collected
about $1 million for the work, but
is still looking for another $5 mil-
lion,

In the meantime Can-Dive
president Phil Nuytten says the
company will be putting a lien on
the pipeline.

“That means the pipeline can-
not be used until the subtrades
have been paid.” he said.

Nuytten claims the financial
squeeze has caused ‘irreparable
hardship”* to Can-Dive.

“It's a shame that we've been
put in this position where our
business reputation has been badly
damaged.” he said. ‘We're one
of the few companies in the world
that could have done this job. We
did what had to be done and it’s
been documented.”

Added Nuytten, “We have con-
tracted millions ef dollars of work
for 1991. Some of thar will have
to be turned down, We've been in
business for 25 seurs and we've
had an impeccable record. Now
we cat take on liabilities without
Knowing whether we can pay the
bills."

Meanwhile. Pacifie Coast
Enerey Corp. president Hirvey
Permack said) Wednesday that
Can-Dive should be chasing Nor-

STS Se

By Michael Becker

News Reporter

for any

Coast
with

thern Construction Co.
money owing. ‘West
doesn’t have a contract
Can-Dive,’” Permack said.

The natural gas pipeline runs
from Coquitlam along the Sun-
shine Coast to Powell River. The
Pipeline crosses the Strait of
Georgia to Vancouver Island
through water as deep as 410

CAN-DIVE PRESIDENT Phil
Nuytten... the squeeze has
caused irreparable hardship.

metres (1,345 feet), with depths
ranging on average between 200
metres (656 feet) and just under
300 metres (984 feet).

North Vancouver-based Inter-
national Hard Suits Inc. (an eff-
shoot of Can-Dive) participated in
the pipeline work, by supplying
divers equipped with Newtsuit
atmospheric diving suits.

Can-Dive operated two remotely
operated vehicles (ROVs) fitted
with robotic manipulator arms
and video cameras to monitor
pipeline installation.

On Monday, installation work
began at Powell River on under-
ground distribution pipes te carry
natural gas to customers on Van-
ecouver Island and the Sunshine
Coast.

Centra: Gas) British Columbia
will be delivering natural gas
through the system to an antici-
pated 90,000 new customers over
the next decade.

Centra is planning to have the
distribution system ins place for
the business cores of 28 com-
munities alone the pipeine route
hefore natural gas is expected to
begin flowing later this sear.

EES

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969