Organization	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Organization [Abstract]
Organization	Note 1 — Organization Effective March 6, 2006, we changed our name from Cal Dive International, Inc. to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. ("Helix" or the "Company"). Unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms "we," "us" and "our" in this Annual Report refer collectively to Helix and its subsidiaries. Until June 2009, Cal Dive International, Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries referred to as "Cal Dive" or "CDI") was a majority-owned subsidiary of Helix. We sold substantially all of our remaining ownership interests in Cal Dive during 2009 (Note 3). We are an international offshore energy company that provides development solutions and other contracting services to the energy market as well as to our own oil and gas properties. Our Contracting Services segment utilizes our vessels, offshore equipment and proprietary technologies to deliver services that may reduce finding and development costs and cover the complete lifecycle of an offshore oil and gas field. Our Contracting Services are located primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. Our Oil and Gas segment engages in prospect generation, exploration, development and production activities. Our oil and gas operations are located in the Gulf of Mexico. Contracting Services Operations We seek to provide services and methodologies that we believe are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economics. Our "life of field" services are segregated into four disciplines: well operations, robotics, subsea construction and production facilities. We have disaggregated our contracting services operations into two continuing reportable business segments: Contracting Services and Production Facilities. Our Contracting Services business primarily consists of well operations, robotics and subsea construction activities. Formerly, we had a third Contracting Services business segment, Shelf Contracting, which represented the assets of CDI. We sold substantially all of our ownership of CDI through various transactions in 2009 (Note 3). Our Production Facilities business includes our equity investments in Deepwater Gateway, L.L.C. ("Deepwater Gateway") and Independence Hub, LLC ("Independence Hub") (Note 7), as well as our majority ownership of the Helix Producer I ("HP I") vessel. Oil and Gas Operations We began our oil and gas operations to achieve incremental returns, to expand our off-season asset utilization of our contracting services assets, and to provide a more efficient solution to offshore abandonment. We have evolved this business model to include not only mature oil and gas properties but also unproved and proved reserves yet to be explored and developed. This has led to the assembly of services that allows us to create value at key points in the life of a reservoir from exploration through development, life of field management and operating through abandonment. Discontinued Operations In April 2009, we sold Helix Energy Limited ("HEL"), our former reservoir technology consulting business, to a subsidiary of Baker Hughes Incorporated for $25 million. As a result of the sale of HEL, which entity's operations were conducted by its wholly owned subsidiary, Helix RDS Limited ("Helix RDS"), we have presented the results of Helix RDS as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. HEL and Helix RDS were previously components of our Contracting Services segment. In 2009, we recognized an $8.3 million gain on the sale of HEL. Events in Gulf of Mexico In April 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig located on the site of the Macondo well at Mississippi Canyon Block 252. The resulting events included loss of life, the complete destruction of the drilling rig, and an oil spill the magnitude of which was unprecedented in U.S. territorial waters. In May 2010, the U.S. Department of Interior ("DOI") announced a total moratorium on new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. In October 2010, the DOI lifted the deepwater drilling moratorium and instructed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement ("BOEMRE") that it could resume issuing drilling permits conditioned on the requesting company's compliance with all revised drilling, safety and environmental requirements. No post moratorium deepwater drilling permits were issued by BOEMRE until late February 2011. In October 2011, the BOEMRE separated into two new federal agencies, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ("BOEM") and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Management ("BSEE"). We developed the Helix Fast Response System ("HFRS") as a culmination of our experience as a responder in the Gulf oil spill response and containment efforts. The HFRS centers on two vessels, the HP I and the Q4000, both of which played a key role in the Gulf well control and containment efforts and are presently operating in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2011, we signed an agreement with Clean Gulf Associates ("CGA"), a non-profit industry group, allowing, in exchange for a retainer fee, the HFRS to be named as a response resource in permit applications to federal and state agencies, and making the HFRS available for a two-year term to certain CGA participants who have executed utilization agreements with us. In addition to the agreement with CGA, we currently have signed separate utilization agreements with 24 CGA participant member companies specifying the day rates to be charged should the HFRS be deployed in connection with a well control incident. The retainer fee for the HFRS became effective April 1, 2011 and is a component of our Production Facilities business segment. A total of 55 permits have been granted to CGA participants for deepwater drilling operations identifying the HFRS to fulfill the BOERME (BOEM/BSEE) requirement to have a spill response and containment resource included in the submitted permit applications.

Note 1 — Organization

Effective March 6, 2006, we changed our name from Cal Dive International, Inc. to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. ("Helix" or the "Company"). Unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms "we," "us" and "our" in this Annual Report refer collectively to Helix and its subsidiaries. Until June 2009, Cal Dive International, Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries referred to as "Cal Dive" or "CDI") was a majority-owned subsidiary of Helix. We sold substantially all of our remaining ownership interests in Cal Dive during 2009 (Note 3). We are an international offshore energy company that provides development solutions and other contracting services to the energy market as well as to our own oil and gas properties. Our Contracting Services segment utilizes our vessels, offshore equipment and proprietary technologies to deliver services that may reduce finding and development costs and cover the complete lifecycle of an offshore oil and gas field. Our Contracting Services are located primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. Our Oil and Gas segment engages in prospect generation, exploration, development and production activities. Our oil and gas operations are located in the Gulf of Mexico.

Contracting Services Operations

We seek to provide services and methodologies that we believe are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economics. Our "life of field" services are segregated into four disciplines: well operations, robotics, subsea construction and production facilities. We have disaggregated our contracting services operations into two continuing reportable business segments: Contracting Services and Production Facilities. Our Contracting Services business primarily consists of well operations, robotics and subsea construction activities. Formerly, we had a third Contracting Services business segment, Shelf Contracting, which represented the assets of CDI. We sold substantially all of our ownership of CDI through various transactions in 2009 (Note 3). Our Production Facilities business includes our equity investments in Deepwater Gateway, L.L.C. ("Deepwater Gateway") and Independence Hub, LLC ("Independence Hub") (Note 7), as well as our majority ownership of the Helix Producer I ("HP I") vessel.

Oil and Gas Operations

We began our oil and gas operations to achieve incremental returns, to expand our off-season asset utilization of our contracting services assets, and to provide a more efficient solution to offshore abandonment. We have evolved this business model to include not only mature oil and gas properties but also unproved and proved reserves yet to be explored and developed. This has led to the assembly of services that allows us to create value at key points in the life of a reservoir from exploration through development, life of field management and operating through abandonment.

Discontinued Operations

In April 2009, we sold Helix Energy Limited ("HEL"), our former reservoir technology consulting business, to a subsidiary of Baker Hughes Incorporated for $25 million. As a result of the sale of HEL, which entity's operations were conducted by its wholly owned subsidiary, Helix RDS Limited ("Helix RDS"), we have presented the results of Helix RDS as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. HEL and Helix RDS were previously components of our Contracting Services segment. In 2009, we recognized an $8.3 million gain on the sale of HEL.

Events in Gulf of Mexico

In April 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig located on the site of the Macondo well at Mississippi Canyon Block 252. The resulting events included loss of life, the complete destruction of the drilling rig, and an oil spill the magnitude of which was unprecedented in U.S. territorial waters. In May 2010, the U.S. Department of Interior ("DOI") announced a total moratorium on new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. In October 2010, the DOI lifted the deepwater drilling moratorium and instructed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement ("BOEMRE") that it could resume issuing drilling permits conditioned on the requesting company's compliance with all revised drilling, safety and environmental requirements. No post moratorium deepwater drilling permits were issued by BOEMRE until late February 2011. In October 2011, the BOEMRE separated into two new federal agencies, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ("BOEM") and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Management ("BSEE").

We developed the Helix Fast Response System ("HFRS") as a culmination of our experience as a responder in the Gulf oil spill response and containment efforts. The HFRS centers on two vessels, the HP I and the Q4000, both of which played a key role in the Gulf well control and containment efforts and are presently operating in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2011, we signed an agreement with Clean Gulf Associates ("CGA"), a non-profit industry group, allowing, in exchange for a retainer fee, the HFRS to be named as a response resource in permit applications to federal and state agencies, and making the HFRS available for a two-year term to certain CGA participants who have executed utilization agreements with us. In addition to the agreement with CGA, we currently have signed separate utilization agreements with 24 CGA participant member companies specifying the day rates to be charged should the HFRS be deployed in connection with a well control incident. The retainer fee for the HFRS became effective April 1, 2011 and is a component of our Production Facilities business segment. A total of 55 permits have been granted to CGA participants for deepwater drilling operations identifying the HFRS to fulfill the BOERME (BOEM/BSEE) requirement to have a spill response and containment resource included in the submitted permit applications.