Gulf of Mexico: Helix Energy Solutions Buys Alliance Group of Companies
U.S. based offshore well services company Helix Energy Solutions Group has finalized the previously announced acquisition of the Alliance group of companies, bolstering its decommissioning footprint in the Gulf of Mexico.
Alliance is a Louisiana-based privately held company that provides services supporting the upstream and midstream industries in the Gulf of Mexico shelf, including offshore oil field decommissioning and reclamation, project management, engineered solutions, intervention, maintenance, repair, heavy lift, and commercial diving services.
When the deal was originally announced in May, Helix said it would pay $120 million cash at closing, plus the potential for post-closing earnout consideration, payable in 2024, in the event the Alliance business achieves certain financial metrics in 2022 and 2023. Helix has the option to pay any earnout consideration in cash, Helix stock, or a combination.
The company said at the time that the purchase would enhance its decommissioning and life-of-field maintenance service capabilities through the addition of Alliance’s comprehensive shallow water assets, including a fleet of Jones Act-compliant lift boats, offshore supply vessels, a heavy lift derrick barge and diving vessels, as well as plug and abandonment systems, coiled tubing systems and snubbing units.
"[The acquisition] positions Helix to further penetrate the North America decommissioning market, with published reports forecasting nearly $3 billion of decommissioning expenditures between 2022 and 2025, and potential to expand into the global market," Helix said in May.
Owen Kratz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helix, said Tuesday: "We are pleased to have completed our acquisition and added Alliance to the Helix family, which complements Helix’s existing deepwater abandonment offerings by adding shelf and facility abandonment capabilities and significantly enhances our position as a full-field abandonment services provider. The acquisition marks a meaningful step in our participation in the Energy Transition, and we are excited to welcome our new colleagues to the Helix family.”
Helix also announced Tuesday that in conjunction with its acquisition of Alliance, it has amended its existing asset-based revolving credit facility (“ABL Facility”) to increase of the size of the ABL Facility to $100 million; and include ESG/sustainability-linked performance targets that may result in adjustments to commitment and borrowing rates.
