Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

9. Commitments and Contingencies

In conjunction with our current drilling rig construction program, purchase commitments for equipment, parts and supplies of approximately $91.0 million are outstanding at December 31, 2012.

Various legal actions, the majority of which arise in the ordinary course of business, are pending.  We maintain insurance against certain business risks subject to certain deductibles.  None of these legal actions are expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

We are contingently liable to sureties in respect of bonds issued by the sureties in connection with certain commitments entered into by us in the normal course of business.  We have agreed to indemnify the sureties for any payments made by them in respect of such bonds.

During the ordinary course of our business, contingencies arise resulting from an existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving an uncertainty as to the realization of a possible gain contingency.  We account for gain contingencies in accordance with the provisions of ASC 450, Contingencies, and, therefore, we do not record gain contingencies and recognize income until realized.  As discussed in Note 2, Discontinued Operations, property and equipment of our Venezuelan subsidiary was seized by the Venezuelan government on June 30, 2010.  Our wholly-owned subsidiaries, Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co. and Helmerich & Payne de Venezuela, C.A., filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on September 23, 2011 against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (“Petroleo”) and PDVSA Petroleo, S.A. (“PDVSA”).  Our subsidiaries seek damages for the taking of their Venezuelan drilling business in violation of international law and for breach of contract.  Additionally, we are participating in arbitration against a third party not affiliated with the Venezuelan government, Petroleo or PDVSA in an attempt to collect an aggregate $50 million relating to the seizure of our property in Venezuela.  The arbitration hearing is presently scheduled for late May 2013.

While there exists the possibility of realizing a recovery, we are currently unable to determine the timing or amounts we may receive, if any, or the likelihood of recovery.  No gain contingencies are recognized in our Consolidated Financial Statements.