Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2015			2014

Term Loan (matures June 2018)	$	255,000		$	277,500
2032 Notes (mature March 2032)	200,000			200,000
MARAD Debt (matures February 2027)	89,148			94,792
Nordea Q5000 Loan (matures April 2020)	232,143			—
Unamortized debt discount	(14,963		)	(20,920		)
Total debt	761,328			551,372
Less current maturities	(71,640		)	(28,144		)
Long-term debt	$	689,688		$	523,228

Credit Agreement

In June 2013, we entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with a group of lenders pursuant to which we borrowed $300 million under the Credit Agreement’s term loan (the “Term Loan”) and, subject to the terms of the Credit Agreement, may borrow additional amounts (the “Revolving Loans”) and/or obtain letters of credit under a revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) up to $600 million. Subject to existing lender participation and/or the participation of new lenders, and subject to standard conditions precedent, we may obtain an increase of up to $200 million in aggregate commitments with respect to the Revolving Credit Facility, additional term loans or a combination thereof. As of December 31, 2015, we had no borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and our available borrowing capacity under that facility, based on the leverage ratio covenant, totaled $249.4 million, net of $13.2 million of letters of credit issued.

The Term Loan and the Revolving Loans (together, the “Loans”) bear interest, at our election, in relation to either the base rate established by Bank of America N.A. or to a LIBOR rate, provided that all Swing Line Loans (as defined in the Credit Agreement) will be base rate loans.

The Loans or portions thereof bearing interest at the base rate currently bear interest at a per annum rate equal to the base rate plus a margin ranging from 1.00% to 3.00%. The Loans or portions thereof bearing interest at a LIBOR rate currently bear interest at the LIBOR rate selected by us plus a margin ranging from 2.00% to 4.00%. A letter of credit fee is payable by us equal to our applicable margin for LIBOR rate Loans multiplied by the daily amount available to be drawn under outstanding letters of credit. Margins on the Loans vary in relation to the consolidated coverage ratio, as provided by the Credit Agreement. We currently also pay a fixed commitment fee of 0.50% on the unused portion of our Revolving Credit Facility. The Term Loan currently bears interest at the one-month LIBOR rate plus 2.75%. In September 2013, we entered into various interest rate swap contracts to fix the one-month LIBOR rate on $148.1 million of our borrowings under the Term Loan (Note 18). The fixed LIBOR rates are between 74 and 75 basis points.

The Term Loan is repayable in scheduled principal installments of 5% in each of the initial two loan years ($15 million per year), and 10% in each of the remaining three loan years ($30 million per year), payable quarterly, with a balloon payment of $180 million at maturity. These installment amounts are subject to adjustment for any prepayments on the Term Loan. We may elect to prepay amounts outstanding under the Term Loan without premium or penalty, but may not reborrow any amounts prepaid. We may prepay amounts outstanding under the Revolving Loans without premium or penalty, and may reborrow any amounts paid up to the amount of the Revolving Credit Facility. The Loans mature on June 19, 2018. In certain circumstances, we will be required to prepay the Loans.

The Credit Agreement and the other documents entered into in connection with the Credit Agreement (together, the “Loan Documents”) include terms and conditions, including covenants, which we consider customary for this type of transaction. The covenants include restrictions on our and our subsidiaries’ ability to grant liens, incur indebtedness, make investments, merge or consolidate, sell or transfer assets, pay dividends and incur capital expenditures. In addition, the Credit Agreement obligates us to meet certain financial ratios, including the Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio and the Consolidated Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement). In January 2016, we amended the Credit Agreement to permit the sale and lease back of certain office and warehouse property located in Aberdeen, Scotland as well as the disposition of that property.

In May 2015 and in February 2016, we amended the Credit Agreement to revise the maximum permitted Consolidated Leverage Ratio as follows:



	Maximum Consolidated Leverage Ratio
Four Fiscal Quarters Ending	May 2015 Amendment		February 2016 Amendment

June 30, 2015	4.00	to 1.00	—
September 30, 2015 through and including March 31, 2016	4.50	to 1.00	5.50	to 1.00
June 30, 2016	4.50	to 1.00	5.25	to 1.00
September 30, 2016 through and including December 31, 2016	4.50	to 1.00	5.00	to 1.00
March 31, 2017	4.00	to 1.00	4.75	to 1.00
June 30, 2017	3.50	to 1.00	4.25	to 1.00
September 30, 2017	3.50	to 1.00	3.75	to 1.00
December 31, 2017 and each fiscal quarter thereafter	3.50	to 1.00	3.50	to 1.00

Also pursuant to the February 2016 amendment to the Credit Agreement,


(a)	The revolving credit facility commitment under the Credit Agreement decreased from $600 million to $400 million.


(b)	The minimum permitted Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio was revised as follows:



Four Fiscal Quarters Ending	Minimum Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio

March 31, 2016 through and including September 30, 2016	2.50	to 1.00
December 31, 2016 through and including March 31, 2017	2.75	to 1.00
June 30, 2017 and each fiscal quarter thereafter	3.00	to 1.00


(c)	We are required to maintain minimum cash balances based on Consolidated Leverage Ratio as follows:



Consolidated Leverage Ratio	Minimum Cash

Greater than or equal to 4.50x	$150,000,000.00
Greater than or equal to 4.00x but less than 4.50x	$100,000,000.00
Greater than or equal to 3.50x but less than 4.00x	$50,000,000.00
Less than 3.50x	$0.00

We have designated five of our foreign subsidiaries, and may designate any newly established foreign subsidiaries, as subsidiaries that are not generally subject to the covenants in the Credit Agreement (the “Unrestricted Subsidiaries”), provided we meet certain liquidity requirements, in which case EBITDA (net of cash distributions to the parent) of the Unrestricted Subsidiaries is not included in the calculations with respect to our financial covenants. Our obligations under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by our wholly owned domestic subsidiaries (except Cal Dive I – Title XI, Inc.) and Canyon Offshore Limited, a wholly owned Scottish subsidiary. Our obligations under the Credit Agreement, and of the guarantors under their guaranty, are secured by most of our assets of the parent and our wholly owned domestic subsidiaries (except Cal Dive I – Title XI, Inc.) and Canyon Offshore Limited, plus pledges of up to two-thirds of the shares of certain foreign subsidiaries.

Convertible Senior Notes Due 2032

In March 2012, we completed a public offering and sale of $200 million in aggregate principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes due 2032 (the “2032 Notes”). The 2032 Notes bear interest at a rate of 3.25% per annum, and are payable semi-annually in arrears on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on September 15, 2012. The 2032 Notes mature on March 15, 2032 unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased. The 2032 Notes are convertible in certain circumstances and during certain periods at an initial conversion rate of 39.9752 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount (which represents an initial conversion price of approximately $25.02 per share of common stock), subject to adjustment in certain circumstances as set forth in the Indenture governing the 2032 Notes. We have the right and the intention to settle any such future conversions in cash.

Prior to March 20, 2018, the 2032 Notes are not redeemable. On or after March 20, 2018, we, at our option, may redeem some or all of the 2032 Notes in cash, at any time upon at least 30 days’ notice, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including contingent interest, if any) up to but excluding the redemption date. In addition, the holders of the 2032 Notes may require us to purchase in cash some or all of their 2032 Notes at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2032 Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest (including contingent interest, if any) up to but excluding the applicable repurchase date, on March 15, 2018, March 15, 2022 and March 15, 2027, or, subject to specified exceptions, at any time prior to the 2032 Notes’ maturity following a fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture governing the 2032 Notes).

In connection with the issuance of the 2032 Notes, we recorded a debt discount of $35.4 million as required under existing accounting rules. To arrive at this discount amount, we estimated the fair value of the liability component of the 2032 Notes as of the date of their issuance (March 12, 2012) using an income approach. To determine this estimated fair value, we used borrowing rates of similar market transactions involving comparable liabilities at the time of issuance and an expected life of 6 years. In selecting the expected life, we selected the earliest date the holders could require us to repurchase all or a portion of the 2032 Notes (March 15, 2018). The effective interest rate for the 2032 Notes is 6.9% after considering the effect of the accretion of the related debt discount that represented the equity component of the 2032 Notes at their inception. We recorded $22.5 million related to the carrying amount of the equity component of the 2032 Notes. The remaining unamortized amount of the debt discount of the 2032 Notes was $15.0 million and $20.9 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

MARAD Debt

This U.S. government guaranteed financing (the “MARAD Debt”) is pursuant to Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 administered by the Maritime Administration, and was used to finance the construction of the Q4000. The MARAD Debt is payable in equal semi-annual installments beginning in August 2002 and matures in February 2027. The MARAD Debt is collateralized by the Q4000, is guaranteed 50% by us, and initially bore interest at a floating rate that approximated AAA Commercial Paper yields plus 20 basis points. As required by the MARAD Debt agreements, in September 2005, we fixed the interest rate on the debt through the issuance of a 4.93% fixed-rate note with the same maturity date.

Nordea Credit Agreement

In September 2014, a wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in Luxembourg, Helix Q5000 Holdings S.à r.l. (“Q5000 Holdings”), entered into a credit agreement (the “Nordea Credit Agreement”) with a syndicated bank lending group for a term loan (the “Nordea Q5000 Loan”) in an amount of up to $250 million. The Nordea Q5000 Loan was funded in the amount of $250 million in April 2015 at the time the Q5000 vessel was delivered. The parent company of Q5000 Holdings, Helix Vessel Finance S.à r.l., also a wholly owned Luxembourg subsidiary, guaranteed the Nordea Q5000 Loan. The loan is secured by the Q5000 and its charter earnings as well as by a pledge of the shares of Q5000 Holdings. This indebtedness is non-recourse to Helix.

The Nordea Q5000 Loan bears interest at a LIBOR rate plus a margin of 2.5%, with an undrawn fee of 0.875% prior to funding on April 30, 2015. The Nordea Q5000 Loan matures on April 30, 2020 and is repayable in scheduled principal installments of $8.9 million, payable quarterly, with a balloon payment of $80.4 million at maturity. Q5000 Holdings may elect to prepay amounts outstanding under the Nordea Q5000 Loan without premium or penalty, but may not reborrow any amounts prepaid. Installment amounts are subject to adjustment for any prepayments on this debt. In certain circumstances, Q5000 Holdings will be required to prepay the loan. In June 2015, we entered into various interest rate swap contracts to fix the one-month LIBOR rate on $187.5 million of our borrowings under the Nordea Q5000 Loan (Note 18). The fixed LIBOR rates are between 149 and 152 basis points.

The Nordea Credit Agreement and related loan documents include terms and conditions, including covenants, that are considered customary for this type of transaction. The covenants include restrictions on Q5000 Holdings’s ability to grant liens, incur indebtedness, make investments, merge or consolidate, sell or transfer assets, and pay dividends. In addition, the Nordea Credit Agreement obligates Q5000 Holdings to meet certain minimum financial requirements, including liquidity, consolidated debt service coverage and collateral maintenance. As of December 31, 2015, Q5000 Holdings was in compliance with these covenants.

Other

In accordance with our Credit Agreement, the 2032 Notes, the MARAD Debt agreements, and the Nordea Credit Agreement, we are required to comply with certain covenants, including certain financial ratios such as a consolidated interest coverage ratio and a consolidated leverage ratio, as well as the maintenance of minimum net worth, working capital and debt-to-equity requirements. As of December 31, 2015, we were in compliance with these covenants.

In 2013, we fully repaid the remaining indebtedness outstanding under our former credit facility. In connection with the repayments of this debt, we recorded charges totaling $3.5 million to accelerate a pro rata portion of deferred financing costs associated with the term loan component of the credit facility. This charge is reflected as a component of “Loss on early extinguishment of long-term debt” in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Also in 2013, we fully redeemed our former Senior Unsecured Notes. Our 2013 results of operations include a loss on early extinguishment of debt totaling $8.6 million, which reflects a $6.5 million call premium and a $2.1 million charge to accelerate the remaining deferred financing costs associated with the original issuance of the Senior Unsecured Notes.

We paid financing costs associated with our debt totaling $1.7 million in 2015 and $3.6 million in 2014. Unamortized deferred financing costs are included in “Other assets, net” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and are amortized over the life of the respective debt agreements. The following table reflects the components of our deferred financing costs (in thousands):



	December 31, 2015							December 31, 2014
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net

Term Loan (matures June 2018)	$	3,638	$	(1,819	)	$	1,819	$	3,638	$	(1,091	)	$	2,547
Revolving Credit Facility (matures June 2018)	14,787		(6,924		)	7,863		13,275		(3,982		)	9,293
2032 Notes (mature March 2032)	3,759		(2,377		)	1,382		3,759		(1,763		)	1,996
MARAD Debt (matures February 2027)	12,200		(6,711		)	5,489		12,200		(6,223		)	5,977
Nordea Q5000 Loan (matures April 2020)	3,811		(508		)	3,303		3,586		—			3,586
Total deferred financing costs	$	38,195	$	(18,339	)	$	19,856	$	36,458	$	(13,059	)	$	23,399

Scheduled maturities of long-term debt outstanding as of December 31, 2015 are as follows (in thousands):



	Term Loan			2032 Notes ⁽¹⁾			MARAD Debt			Nordea Q5000 Loan			Total

Less than one year	$	30,000		$	—		$	5,926		$	35,714		$	71,640
One to two years	30,000			—			6,222			35,715			71,937
Two to three years	195,000			—			6,532			35,714			237,246
Three to four years	—			—			6,858			35,714			42,572
Four to five years	—			—			7,200			89,286			96,486
Over five years	—			200,000			56,410			—			256,410
Total debt	255,000			200,000			89,148			232,143			776,291
Current maturities	(30,000		)	—			(5,926		)	(35,714		)	(71,640		)
Long-term debt, less current maturities	225,000			200,000			83,222			196,429			704,651
Unamortized debt discount ⁽²⁾	—			(14,963		)	—			—			(14,963		)
Long-term debt	$	225,000		$	185,037		$	83,222		$	196,429		$	689,688


(1)	Beginning in March 2018, the holders of the 2032 Notes may require us to repurchase these notes or we may at our option elect to repurchase these notes. The notes will mature in March 2032.


(2)	The 2032 Notes will increase to their face amount through accretion of non-cash interest charges through March 2018.

The following table details the components of our net interest expense (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014			2013

Interest expense ⁽¹⁾	$	40,024		$	33,064		$	44,484
Interest income	(2,068		)	(4,786		)	(1,167		)
Capitalized interest	(11,042		)	(10,419		)	(10,419		)
Net interest expense	$	26,914		$	17,859		$	32,898


(1)	Interest expense of $2.8 million was allocated to ERT during the year ended December 31, 2013 and is included in discontinued operations. Following the sale of ERT in February 2013, we ceased allocating interest expense to ERT, which then constituted a discontinued operation.