Commitments And Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 12, 2012	Oct. 24, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011 Helix [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Australian Subsidiary [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 December 2012 Member	Sep. 30, 2012 August 2012 Member	Sep. 30, 2012 Intrepid Vessel [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Intrepid Vessel [Member]
Loss Contingency Damages Sought Amount				$ 150,000,000
Trade receivables collected				303,000,000
Value added tax assessment				28,000,000
Long-term Purchase Commitment, Amount				386,500,000
Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment	57,800,000							58,100,000	85,000,000
Asset Impairment Charges		160,000,000	4,422,000	19,012,000			4,400,000				14,600,000
Gain on sale or acquisition of assets, net			(12,933,000)	(14,647,000)	(6,000)	(6,000)				(12,900,000)
Assets Held-for-sale, Current			5,000,000	5,000,000			5,000,000
Proceeds from Sale of Property, Plant, and Equipment										14,500,000
Severance Costs							1,700,000
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure											$ 35,000,000