Long-Term Debt

Scheduled maturities of our long-term debt outstanding as of March 31, 2016 are as follows (in thousands):



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

Less than one year	$	30,000		$	—		$	6,072		$	35,714		$	71,786
One to two years	30,000			—			6,375			35,715			72,090
Two to three years	187,500			—			6,693			35,714			229,907
Three to four years	—			—			7,027			35,714			42,741
Four to five years	—			—			7,378			80,357			87,735
Over five years	—			200,000			52,676			—			252,676
Total debt	247,500			200,000			86,221			223,214			756,935
Current maturities	(30,000		)	—			(6,072		)	(35,714		)	(71,786		)
Long-term debt, less current maturities	217,500			200,000			80,149			187,500			685,149
Unamortized debt discount ⁽²⁾	—			(13,396		)	—			—			(13,396		)
Unamortized debt issuance costs ⁽³⁾	(2,087		)	(1,229		)	(5,367		)	(3,122		)	(11,805		)
Long-term debt	$	215,413		$	185,375		$	74,782		$	184,378		$	659,948


(1)	Beginning in March 2018, the holders of our Convertible Senior Notes due 2032 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)	Our Convertible Senior Notes due 2032 will increase to their face amount through accretion of non-cash interest charges through March 2018.


(3)	Debt issuance costs are amortized over the life of the applicable debt agreement.

Below is a summary of certain components of our indebtedness:

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 (reduced to $400 million after the February 2016 amendment to the Credit Agreement, as described below). Pursuant to our Credit Agreement, 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. At March 31, 2016, we had no borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and our available borrowing capacity under that facility, based on the leverage ratio covenant, totaled $146.8 million, net of $5.8 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 a portion of our borrowings under the Term Loan (Note 14). The total notional amount of the swaps (initially $148.1 million) decreases in proportion to the reduction in the principal amount outstanding under our Term Loan. The fixed LIBOR rates are between 74 and 75 basis points.

The Term Loan is repayable in scheduled principal installments (currently 10% or $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, that 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. In February 2016, we amended the Credit Agreement to decrease the lenders’ commitment under the Revolving Credit Facility from $600 million to $400 million. As a result, we recorded a $2.5 million interest charge to accelerate the amortization of debt issuance costs in proportion to the reduced commitment.

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


(a)	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


(b)	The maximum permitted Consolidated Leverage Ratio was revised as follows:



Four Fiscal Quarters Ending	Maximum Consolidated Leverage Ratio

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

(c)

A new financial covenant was established requiring us to maintain a minimum cash balance if our Consolidated Leverage Ratio is 3.50x or greater, as described below. This minimum cash balance is not required to be maintained in a particular bank account or segregated from other cash balances in bank accounts that we use in our ordinary course of business. Because the use of this cash is not legally restricted notwithstanding this maintenance covenant, we present it as cash and cash equivalents on our balance sheet. As of March 31, 2016, we needed to maintain a cash balance in the aggregate of at least $100 million in order to comply with this covenant.



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 Credit Agreement’s covenants (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 Convertible Senior Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $200 million 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 (either a Change of Control or a Termination of Trading, as those terms are defined in the Indenture governing the 2032 Notes).

In connection with the issuance of the 2032 Notes, we recorded a 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 6.0 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 $13.4 million at March 31, 2016 and $15.0 million at December 31, 2015.

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 to us. 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 a portion of our borrowings under the Nordea Q5000 Loan (Note 14). The total notional amount of the swaps (initially $187.5 million) decreases in proportion to the reduction in the principal amount outstanding under our Nordea Q5000 Loan. 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 March 31, 2016, 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 March 31, 2016, we were in compliance with these covenants.

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



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2016			2015

Interest expense	$	13,044		$	8,409
Interest income	(444		)	(650		)
Capitalized interest	(1,916		)	(3,689		)
Net interest expense	$	10,684		$	4,070