Impairments and Other Charges (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) item VEF / $	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) item	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 VEF / $	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 12, 2013 USD ($)
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets	$ 65,633,000	$ 393,962,000	$ 14,044,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	74,464,000	217,627,000	20,000,000
Subtotal	140,097,000	611,589,000	34,044,000
Goodwill And Intangible Assets:
Goodwill impairments	0	356,605,000
Intangible asset impairment		29,942,000
Subtotal		386,547,000
Other Charges:
Other-than-temporary impairment	180,591,000	6,974,000
Provision for International operations	48,279,000
Transaction costs		22,313,000
Loss on tendered notes		(5,576,000)	(211,981,000)
Termination of employment contract			45,000,000
Total impairments and other charges	368,967,000	1,027,423,000	287,241,000
Charge for remeasurement of net monetary assets	$ 10,000,000
Official exchange rate of Bolivares per USD | VEF / $	6.3
SIMADI exchange rate of Bolivares per USD | VEF / $				199
Write-off of receivable	$ 15,400,000
Provision for exit of non-core business line	22,900,000
Goodwill	$ 166,659,000	$ 173,928,000	512,964,000
Number of retired mechanical rigs | item		25
9.25% senior notes due January 2019
Other Charges:
Loss on tendered notes			$ 208,197,000
Interest rate on senior notes due (as a percent)	9.25%		9.25%		9.25%
Principal amount repurchased			$ 785,400,000			$ 785,400,000
Payments of Debt Extinguishment Costs			1,000,000,000
Petrello
Other Charges:
Cash awarded in connection with termination of prior contract			18,000,000
Common Shares | Petrello
Other Charges:
Cash awarded in connection with termination of prior contract			27,000,000
Venezuela
Other Charges:
Provision for assets and receivable impacted by degradation of overall country economy	$ 25,400,000
North Slope of Alaska
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets	15,100,000
United States
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets	$ 47,247,000	$ 271,141,000
Number of Competitive Assets | item	47
Impairment of long-lived assets		137,000,000
Subtotal	$ 47,247,000	408,141,000
Other Charges:
Goodwill	50,149,000	50,149,000	50,149,000
CANADA
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets	7,547,000	24,211,000
Impairment of long-lived assets		10,176,000
Subtotal	7,547,000	34,387,000
International
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets	10,839,000	56,472,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	52,479,000	70,451,000
Subtotal	63,318,000	126,923,000
Other Charges:
Goodwill	75,634,000
Completion & Production Services and Rig Services
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Subtotal		29,900,000
Rig Services
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets		42,138,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	3,879,000
Subtotal	3,879,000	42,138,000
Other Charges:
Goodwill	40,876,000	31,667,000	37,261,000
Other
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Impairment of long-lived assets	18,106,000
Subtotal	$ 18,106,000
Completion and Production Services
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets			20,000,000
Other Charges:
Goodwill		92,112,000	425,554,000
Completion Services
Other Charges:
Goodwill			$ 334,992,000
Gulf Of Mexico
Tangible Assets And Equipment
Provision for retirement of assets		54,400,000
Business Acquisitions Acquiree Superior | Completion Services
Other Charges:
Goodwill		$ 335,000,000