Long-Term Debt and Notes Payable - Additional Information 2 (Detail) (USD $)	9 Months Ended								9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014 Mexico [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Mexico [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Brazil [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Brazil [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Reimbursement Agreement [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Reimbursement Agreement [Member]	Apr. 20, 2012 ANZ Reimbursement Agreement [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 North Ocean Construction Financing [Member] North Ocean 102 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 North Ocean Construction Financing [Member] North Ocean 102 [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Minimum [Member]	Apr. 30, 2014 Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Secured Debt [Member] North Ocean Construction Financing [Member] North Ocean 105 [Member] Installment	Sep. 30, 2010 Secured Debt [Member] North Ocean Construction Financing [Member] North Ocean 105 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Secured Debt [Member] North Ocean Construction Financing [Member] North Ocean 105 [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Secured Debt [Member] Maximum [Member] North Ocean Construction Financing [Member] North Ocean 105 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued												$ 500,000,000	$ 500,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate													8.00%		2.76%
Debt instrument maturity date	Apr. 01, 2017												May 01, 2021
Units issued	11,500,000
Tangible units interest rate percentage	6.25%
Unit price per share	25.00
Initial principal amount per amortizing note	4.1266
Amortizing note interest rate percentage	7.75%
Additional Paid in capital	240,000,000
Tangible equity units, aggregate principal amount												47,500,000	44,100,000
Current notes payable	15,000,000									31,400,000				8,200,000		8,200,000
Maximum settlement rate per tangible equity unit	$ 3.5562
Dilutive common shares issuable under common stock purchase contracts	40,900,000										33,400,000
Dilutive common shares issuable under common stock purchase contracts, per unit											$ 2.9030
Secured debt																	69,400,000
Business acquisition percentage, interests acquired														75.00%
Principal repayment	April 16, 2015													The agreement provides for borrowings of up to $69.4 million, bearing interest at 2.76% per year, and requires principal repayment in 17 consecutive semi-annual installments, which commenced on October 1, 2012.
Number of consecutive semi-annual installments														17
Borrowing outstanding														53,100,000		57,200,000
Notes payable										31,400,000
Debt description									The outstanding debt bore interest at a rate equal to the three-month LIBOR (which was subject to reset every three months) plus a margin of 3.315%. JRMSA paid in full the approximately $31.4 million notes payable balance upon maturity during January 2014.
Applicable margin for LIBOR borrowing									3.315%
Debt maturity date									2014-01
Percentage of debt guaranteed by JRMSA									50.00%
Repayments of notes payable by JRMSA									31,400,000
Ownership percentage in Oceanteam ASA's									50.00%
Bank guarantees issued						57,400,000	55,800,000
Letters of credit outstanding						12,000,000	39,800,000	109,000,000
Bonds issued related to JRMSA general agreement of indemnity		$ 51,100,000	$ 43,500,000	$ 0	$ 106,300,000