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HELMERICH & PAYNE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the Fiscal Year Ended
September 30, 2009
PART I
Item 1. BUSINESS
Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (hereafter referred to as the "Company", "we", "us" or "our"), was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on February 3, 1940, and is successor to a business originally organized in 1920. We are primarily engaged in contract drilling of oil and gas wells for others and this business accounts for almost all of our operating revenues.
Our contract drilling business is composed of three reportable business segments: U.S. land drilling, offshore drilling and international land drilling. Our U.S. land drilling is conducted primarily in Oklahoma, California, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Utah, Arkansas, New Mexico, and North Dakota. Offshore drilling operations are conducted in the Gulf of Mexico, and offshore of California, Trinidad and Equatorial Guinea. Our international land segment operated in six international locations during fiscal 2009: Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and Tunisia.
We are also engaged in the ownership, development and operation of commercial real estate and research and development of rotary steerable technology. Each of the businesses operates independently of the others through wholly-owned subsidiaries. This operating decentralization is balanced by a centralized finance division, which handles all accounting, information technology, budgeting, insurance, cash management and related activities.
Our real estate investments located exclusively within Tulsa, Oklahoma, include a shopping center containing approximately 441,000 leasable square feet, multi-tenant industrial warehouse properties containing approximately 990,000 leasable square feet and approximately 210 acres of undeveloped real estate.
Our subsidiary, TerraVici Drilling Solutions, Inc. ("TerraVici"), is developing patented rotary steerable technology to enhance horizontal and directional drilling operations. We acquired TerraVici to complement technology currently used with the FlexRig. The process of drilling has become increasingly challenging as preferred well types deviate from simple vertical drilling. By combining this new technology with our existing capabilities, we expect to improve drilling productivity and reduce total well cost to the customer.
CONTRACT DRILLING
General
We believe that we are one of the major land and offshore drilling contractors in the western hemisphere. Operating principally in North and South America, we specialize in shallow to deep drilling in oil and gas producing basins of the United States and in drilling for oil and gas in international locations. In the United States, we draw our customers primarily from the major oil companies and the larger independent oil companies. In South America, our current customers include the Venezuelan state petroleum company and major international oil companies.
In fiscal 2009, we received approximately 59 percent of our consolidated operating revenues from our ten largest contract drilling customers. Devon Energy Production Co. LP, Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation and BP plc (respectively, "Devon", "Oxy" and "BP"), including their affiliates, are our three largest contract drilling customers. We perform drilling services for Devon in U.S. land operations, and for Oxy and BP on a world-wide basis. Revenues from drilling services performed for Devon, Oxy and BP in fiscal 2009 accounted for approximately 12 percent, 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively, of our consolidated operating revenues for the same period.
Rigs, Equipment and Facilities
We provide drilling rigs, equipment, personnel and camps on a contract basis. These services are provided so that our customers may explore for and develop oil and gas from onshore areas and from fixed platforms, tension-leg platforms and spars in offshore areas. Each of the drilling rigs consists of engines,
drawworks, a mast, pumps, blowout preventers, a drillstring and related equipment. The intended well depth and the drilling site conditions are the principal factors that determine the size and type of rig most suitable for a particular drilling job. A land drilling rig may be moved from location to location without modification to the rig. A platform rig is specifically designed to perform drilling operations upon a particular platform. While a platform rig may be moved from its original platform, significant expense is incurred to modify a platform rig for operation on each subsequent platform. In addition to traditional platform rigs, we operate self-moving platform drilling rigs and drilling rigs to be used on tension-leg platforms and spars. The self-moving rig is designed to be moved without the use of expensive derrick barges. The tension-leg platforms and spars allow drilling operations to be conducted in much deeper water than traditional fixed platforms.
In 1998, we put to work a new generation of six highly mobile/depth flexible land drilling rigs (individually the "FlexRig®"). The FlexRig has been able to significantly reduce average rig move and drilling times compared to similar depth-rated traditional land rigs. In addition, the FlexRig allows a greater depth flexibility of between 8,000 to 18,000 feet and provides greater operating efficiency. The original six rigs were designated as FlexRig1 rigs. Subsequently, we built and completed 12 new FlexRig2 rigs. In 2001, we announced that we would build an additional 25 new FlexRigs. These new rigs, known as "FlexRig3 rigs", were the next generation of FlexRigs which incorporated new drilling technology and new environmental and safety design. This new design included integrated top drive, AC electric drive, hydraulic BOP handling system, hydraulic tubular make-up and break-out system, split crown and traveling blocks and an enlarged drill floor that enables simultaneous crew activities. All 25 of these FlexRig3s were completed by June of 2003. Subsequently, we constructed seven more FlexRig3s which were completed by March of 2004.
From March 2005 through November 2008, we announced commitments with exploration and production companies to build a cumulative total of 140 new FlexRigs under fixed term contracts to perform drilling services on a daywork basis. Of the 140 FlexRigs, 57 are FlexRig3s and 83 are FlexRig4s (described below). We completed 133 of the 140 rigs through fiscal 2009 and have seven remaining new FlexRigs to complete by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2010. The total estimated construction cost of all 140 rigs, including tubular and other ancillary equipment, is currently $2.2 billion.
While the new FlexRig4s are similar to our existing FlexRig3s, the FlexRig4s are designed to efficiently drill more shallow depth wells of between 4,000 and 14,000 feet. The FlexRig4 design includes a trailerized version and a skidding version, which incorporate new environmental and safety design. This new design permits the installation of a pipe handling system which allows the rig to be operated by a reduced crew and eliminates the need for a casing stabber in the mast.
While the trailerized version provides for more efficient well site to well site rig moves, the skidding version allows for drilling of up to 22 wells from a single pad which results in reduced environmental impact. The effective use of technology is important to the maintenance of our competitive position within the drilling industry. As a result of the importance of technology to our business, we expect to continue to develop technology internally.
We assemble new FlexRigs at our gulf coast facility near Houston, Texas. We also have a 123,000 square foot fabrication facility located on approximately 11 acres near Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Drilling Contracts
Our drilling contracts are obtained through competitive bidding or as a result of negotiations with customers, and often cover multi-well and multi-year projects. Each drilling rig operates under a separate drilling contract. During fiscal 2009, all drilling services were performed on a "daywork" contract basis, under which we charge a fixed rate per day, with the price determined by the location, depth and complexity of the well to be drilled, operating conditions, the duration of the contract, and the competitive forces of the market. We have previously performed contracts on a combination "footage" and "daywork" basis, under which we charged a fixed rate per foot of hole drilled to a stated depth, usually no deeper than 15,000 feet, and a fixed rate per day for the remainder of the hole. Contracts performed on a "footage" basis involve a greater element of risk to the contractor than do contracts performed on a "daywork" basis. Also, we have previously accepted "turnkey" contracts under which we charge a fixed sum to deliver a hole to a stated depth and agree to furnish services such as testing, coring and casing the hole
which are not normally done on a "footage" basis. "Turnkey" contracts entail varying degrees of risk greater than the usual "footage" contract. We have not accepted any "footage" or "turnkey" contracts for at least the last ten years. We believe that under current market conditions, "footage" and "turnkey" contract rates do not adequately compensate contractors for the added risks. The duration of our drilling contracts are "well-to-well" or for a fixed term. "Well-to-well" contracts are cancelable at the option of either party upon the completion of drilling at any one site. Fixed-term contracts customarily provide for termination at the election of the customer, with an "early termination payment" to be paid to us if a contract is terminated prior to the expiration of the fixed term. However, under certain limited circumstances such as destruction of a drilling rig, our bankruptcy, sustained unacceptable performance by us or delivery of a rig beyond certain grace and/or liquidated damage periods, no early termination payment would be paid to us.
As of September 30, 2009, we had 107 rigs under fixed-term contracts. While the original duration for these current fixed-term contracts are for twelve-month to seven-year periods, some fixed-term and well-to-well contracts are expected to be extended for longer periods than the original terms. However, the contracting parties have no legal obligation to extend the contracts. Contracts generally contain renewal or extension provisions exercisable at the option of the customer at prices mutually agreeable to us and the customer. In most instances contracts provide for additional payments for mobilization and demobilization.
Backlog
Our contract drilling backlog, being the expected future revenue from executed contracts with original terms in excess of one year, as of September 30, 2009 and 2008 was $2,528 million and $3,374 million, respectively. The decrease in our backlog from 2008 to 2009 is primarily due to expiration and early termination of long-term contracts. Approximately 63.0 percent of the total September 30, 2009 backlog is not reasonably expected to be filled in fiscal 2010. Term contracts customarily provide for termination at the election of the customer with an "early termination payment" to be paid to us if a contract is terminated prior to the expiration of the fixed term. However, under certain limited circumstances, such as destruction of a drilling rig, our bankruptcy, sustained unacceptable performance by us or delivery of a rig beyond certain grace and/or liquidated damage periods, no early termination payment would be paid. In addition, a portion of the backlog represents term contracts for new rigs that will be constructed in the future. We obtain certain key rig components from a single or limited number of vendors or fabricators. Certain of these vendors or fabricators are thinly capitalized independent companies located on the Texas gulf coast. Therefore, disruptions in rig component deliveries may occur. Accordingly, the actual amount of revenue earned may vary from the backlog reported. See Item 1A. Risk Factors.