INTEREST EXPENSE

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Interest Expense [Abstract]

INTEREST EXPENSE

    INTEREST EXPENSE

Interest expense comprised the following for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018:

	For the Three Months Ended September 30,				For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Interest on long-term debt and other financing arrangements	$	7,201	$	9,070	$	21,451	$	36,585
Amortization of capitalized debt issuance costs	836		907		2,563		3,621
Total interest expense	$	8,037	$	9,977	$	24,014	$	40,206

We paid cash interest (including mandatory cash-pay Guarantee Fees) of US$ 17.0 million and US$ 30.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. In addition, we paid US$ 27.3 million of accrued Guarantee Fees during the nine months ended September 30, 2018, which we had previously elected to pay in kind.