Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014 Country Employee	Mar. 31, 2014 Segment	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014 Project Country Employee	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of countries	20			20
Number of employees	14,000			14,000
Number of operating segments		4
Unapproved change orders	$ 352,300,000		$ 468,000,000	$ 352,300,000	$ 468,000,000
Revenue	414,595,000		686,856,000	1,494,489,000	2,141,594,000
Cost of operations	370,271,000		686,415,000	1,394,062,000	2,122,488,000
Percentage of completion to recognize expected profit	70.00%			70.00%
Number of projects accounted under deferred profit recognition policy				0
Changes in project estimated costs	18,600,000			18,600,000
Allowance for doubtful accounts	0			0		0
Contracts in progress				336,920,000		425,986,000
Advance billing on contracts				200,258,000		278,929,000
Minimum [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Equity method of accounting investment ownership	20.00%			20.00%
Maximum [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Equity method of accounting investment ownership	50.00%			50.00%
Morgan City environmental reserve [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimated costs	7,800,000			7,800,000
Project One of Three [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimated costs	15,200,000			15,200,000
Pipelay Project [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimates					47,700,000
Saudi Arabia [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of projects accounted under deferred profit recognition policy				4
Loss on contracts				91,100,000
Changes in project estimated costs	7,900,000			7,900,000
Saudi Arabia [Member] | EPCI projects [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimated costs	42,400,000			42,400,000
Number of project				2
Altamira [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss on contracts				169,000,000
Brazil [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss on contracts				116,100,000
U.S. Gulf of Mexico [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Reduced cost estimates	5,200,000			5,200,000
Middle East [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue	92,168,000		379,754,000	588,822,000	943,863,000
Claim amounts			51.00%		51.00%
Project completion year				2014
Changes in project estimates				10,700,000
Changes in project estimated costs	46,900,000			46,900,000
Number of project				4
Middle East [Member] | EPCI projects [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Partial offset on estimated costs on project	17,800,000
Middle East [Member] | Project Two [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimated costs			38,000,000		38,000,000
Middle East [Member] | Saudi Arabia [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss on contracts				9,200,000
Project completion year	2014			2016
Changes in project estimates	5,400,000
Changes in project estimated costs	8,600,000			8,600,000
Middle East [Member] | Caspian [Member] | Project One [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Project completion year			2014
Changes in project estimated costs			29,000,000		29,000,000
Asia Pacific [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue	205,427,000		190,231,000	481,234,000	746,122,000
Loss on contracts				31,500,000
Project completion year					2013
Changes in project estimates	20,200,000			53,500,000
Reduced cost estimates	10,800,000			10,800,000
Project close-out savings	9,500,000
Changes in project estimated costs	11,800,000			11,800,000
Partial offset on estimated costs on project			33,000,000
Number of project					3
Asia Pacific [Member] | Project Two [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Reduced cost estimates	10,300,000			10,300,000
Changes in project estimated costs			99,000,000		99,000,000
Partial offset on estimated costs on project					33,000,000
Increase decrease in project cost			132,000,000		132,000,000
Asia Pacific [Member] | Project One [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Project completion year	2014
Changes in project estimated costs			66,000,000		66,000,000
Americas [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue	117,000,000		116,871,000	424,433,000	451,609,000
Claim amounts			8.00%		8.00%
Project completion year	2014
Changes in project estimates	1,500,000			41,500,000
Changes in project estimated costs	4,800,000			4,800,000
Number of project				5
Americas [Member] | EPCI projects [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimated costs	66,300,000			66,300,000
Partial offset on estimated costs on project				37,400,000
Americas [Member] | U.S. Gulf of Mexico [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss on contracts			9,000,000
Project completion year			2015
Reduced cost estimates	12,400,000			12,400,000
Changes in project estimated costs	4,800,000			4,800,000
Partial offset on estimated costs on project	10,900,000
Number of project			1
Americas [Member] | U.S. Gulf of Mexico [Member] | North Ocean 102 [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Changes in project estimated costs	10,100,000			10,100,000
Americas [Member] | Fabrication Project and EPCI Project [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss on contracts					21,000,000
Malaysia [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of project			1
Malaysia [Member] | Project Two [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Project close-out savings					14,000,000
Claims Revenue [Member] | Middle East [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue				6,500,000
Cost of operations					186,300,000
Consolidated Entities [Member] | Middle East [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue	0		17,600,000	0	17,600,000
Cost of operations	0		56,900,000	0	56,900,000
Consolidated Entities [Member] | Asia Pacific [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Claim amounts			41.00%		41.00%
Unconsolidated joint ventures [Member] | Middle East [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue	0		0	0	0
Cost of operations	0		3,700,000	0	3,700,000
Backlog [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Unapproved change orders	168,900,000		138,000,000	168,900,000	138,000,000
Backlog loss position, percent				100.00%
Active Projects [Member]
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss on contracts				$ 385,400,000