Organization and Operations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

OrganizationAndOperationsNoteAbstract

Organization and Operations

NOTE A - ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

We are geographically diversified oil and gas services company, focused on completion fluids and associated products and services, frac water management, after-frac flow back, production well testing, offshore rig cooling, compression based production enhancement, and selected offshore services, including well plugging and abandonment, decommissioning, and diving. We also have a limited domestic oil and gas production business. We were incorporated in Delaware in 1981 and are composed of five reporting segments organized into three divisions - Fluids, Production Enhancement, and Offshore. Unless the context requires otherwise, when we refer to “we,” “us,” and “our,” we are describing TETRA Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

Our Fluids Division manufactures and markets clear brine fluids, additives, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry for use in well drilling, completion, and workover operations in the United States and in certain countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The Division also markets liquid and dry calcium chloride products manufactured at its production facilities or purchased from third-party suppliers to a variety of markets outside the energy industry. The Fluids Division also provides domestic onshore oil and gas operators with comprehensive frac water management services.

Our Production Enhancement Division consists of two operating segments: Production Testing and Compressco. The Production Testing segment provides after-frac flow back, production well testing, offshore rig cooling, and other associated services in many of the major oil and gas producing regions in the United States, Mexico and Canada, as well as in certain oil and gas basins in certain regions in South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.

The Compressco segment provides compression-based production enhancement services, which are used in both conventional wellhead compression applications and unconventional compression applications, and in certain circumstances, well monitoring and sand separation services. Compressco provides these services throughout many of the onshore oil and gas producing regions of the United States, as well as certain basins in Mexico and Canada, and certain countries in South America, Eastern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Beginning June 20, 2011, following the initial public offering of Compressco Partners, L.P. (Compressco Partners), we allocate and charge certain corporate and divisional direct and indirect administrative costs to Compressco Partners.

Our Offshore Division consists of two operating segments: Offshore Services and Maritech. The Offshore Services segment provides (1) downhole and subsea oil and gas well plugging and abandonment services, (2) decommissioning and certain construction services utilizing heavy lift barges and various cutting technologies with regard to offshore oil and gas production platforms and pipelines, and (3) conventional and saturated air diving services.

The Maritech segment is a limited oil and gas production operation. During 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, Maritech sold substantially all of its oil and gas producing property interests. Maritech's current operations primarily consist of the ongoing abandonment and decommissioning associated with its remaining offshore wells, facilities, and production platforms. Maritech intends to acquire a significant portion of these services from the Offshore Division's Offshore Services segment.