Organization	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Organization [Abstract]
Organization	Note 1 — Organization Effective March 6, 2006, we changed our name from Cal Dive International, Inc. to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (“Helix” or the “Company”). Unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “we,” “us” and “our” in this Annual Report refer collectively to Helix and its subsidiaries. Until June 2009, Cal Dive International, Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries referred to as “Cal Dive” or “CDI”) was a majority-owned subsidiary of Helix. We sold substantially all of our remaining ownership interests in Cal Dive during 2009 (Note 2). We are an international offshore energy company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on our growing well intervention and robotics operations. Our contracting services operations are located primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. In February 2013, we sold Energy Resource Technology GOM, Inc. (“ERT”), a former wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary that conducted our oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Our former Oil and Gas segment was involved in prospect generation, exploration, development and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico. Contracting Services Operations We seek to provide services and methodologies that we believe are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economics. Our “life of field” services are segregated into four disciplines: well intervention, robotics, subsea construction and production facilities. We have disaggregated our contracting services operations into two reportable segments: Contracting Services and Production Facilities. Our Contracting Services segment includes well intervention, robotics and subsea construction operations (see Note 2 for disclosures regarding the planned dispositions of our subsea construction vessels and related assets). Our Production Facilities business includes our majority ownership of the Helix Producer I (“HP I”) vessel as well as our equity investments in Deepwater Gateway, L.L.C. (“Deepwater Gateway”) and Independence Hub, LLC (“Independence Hub”) (Note 5). It also includes the Helix Fast Response System (“HFRS”), which includes access to our Q4000 and HP I vessels. In 2011, we signed an agreement with Clean Gulf Associates ("CGA"), a non-profit industry group, allowing, in exchange for a retainer fee, the HFRS to be named as a response resource in permit applications to federal and state agencies, and making the HFRS available to certain CGA participants who have executed utilization agreements with us. In addition to the agreement with CGA, we currently have separate utilization agreements with 24 CGA participant member companies. These agreements specify the day rates to be charged should the HFRS be deployed in connection with a well control incident. Recently, this group of operators formed HWCG LLC to perform the same functions as CGA with respect to the HFRS. The retainer fee for the HFRS became effective April 1, 2011. We anticipate that a new contract covering the HFRS will be signed in the first quarter of 2013 to provide for a four-year term commencing April 1, 2013. Discontinued Operations In December 2012, we announced a definitive agreement for the sale of ERT. On February 6, 2013, we sold ERT for $620 million plus contingent consideration in the form of overriding royalty interests in the Wang well and certain other future exploration prospects. As a result, we have presented the assets and liabilities included in the sale of ERT and the historical operating results of our former Oil and Gas segment as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. See Note 3 for additional information regarding our discontinued oil and gas operations.

Note 1 — Organization

Effective March 6, 2006, we changed our name from Cal Dive International, Inc. to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (“Helix” or the “Company”). Unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “we,” “us” and “our” in this Annual Report refer collectively to Helix and its subsidiaries. Until June 2009, Cal Dive International, Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries referred to as “Cal Dive” or “CDI”) was a majority-owned subsidiary of Helix. We sold substantially all of our remaining ownership interests in Cal Dive during 2009 (Note 2). We are an international offshore energy company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on our growing well intervention and robotics operations. Our contracting services operations are located primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. In February 2013, we sold Energy Resource Technology GOM, Inc. (“ERT”), a former wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary that conducted our oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Our former Oil and Gas segment was involved in prospect generation, exploration, development and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Contracting Services Operations

We seek to provide services and methodologies that we believe are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economics. Our “life of field” services are segregated into four disciplines: well intervention, robotics, subsea construction and production facilities. We have disaggregated our contracting services operations into two reportable segments: Contracting Services and Production Facilities. Our Contracting Services segment includes well intervention, robotics and subsea construction operations (see Note 2 for disclosures regarding the planned dispositions of our subsea construction vessels and related assets). Our Production Facilities business includes our majority ownership of the Helix Producer I (“HP I”) vessel as well as our equity investments in Deepwater Gateway, L.L.C. (“Deepwater Gateway”) and Independence Hub, LLC (“Independence Hub”) (Note 5). It also includes the Helix Fast Response System (“HFRS”), which includes access to our Q4000 and HP I vessels. In 2011, we signed an agreement with Clean Gulf Associates ("CGA"), a non-profit industry group, allowing, in exchange for a retainer fee, the HFRS to be named as a response resource in permit applications to federal and state agencies, and making the HFRS available to certain CGA participants who have executed utilization agreements with us. In addition to the agreement with CGA, we currently have separate utilization agreements with 24 CGA participant member companies. These agreements specify the day rates to be charged should the HFRS be deployed in connection with a well control incident. Recently, this group of operators formed HWCG LLC to perform the same functions as CGA with respect to the HFRS. The retainer fee for the HFRS became effective April 1, 2011. We anticipate that a new contract covering the HFRS will be signed in the first quarter of 2013 to provide for a four-year term commencing April 1, 2013.

Discontinued Operations

In December 2012, we announced a definitive agreement for the sale of ERT. On February 6, 2013, we sold ERT for $620 million plus contingent consideration in the form of overriding royalty interests in the Wang well and certain other future exploration prospects. As a result, we have presented the assets and liabilities included in the sale of ERT and the historical operating results of our former Oil and Gas segment as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. See Note 3 for additional information regarding our discontinued oil and gas operations.