Porter Hedges provides a broad spectrum of legal services to drilling companies, oilfield service companies, and the producers that hire them, including:

  • Drafting of International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) drilling contracts and master service agreements
  • Finance and banking, including credit facilities and private placements
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Asset sales and divestitures
  • Agreements to exchange for working interest
  • Workouts with debtors and creditors
  • Litigation and alternative dispute resolution
  • 144A/Regulation S offerings

Offshore Oil & Gas

Our energy transactions team advises clients on the full spectrum of matters related to offshore oil and gas including the negotiation of drilling contracts, rig sharing agreements, and charter and vessel agreements. Our experience covers all aspects of offshore drilling contracts for projects in West Africa, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, the Middle East, and the North Sea, among several other locations.

Experience

Offshore

  • Represented a public contractor in various EPCI agreements, including:
    • First of a kind subsea project in 7,000 feet of water;
    • Multiple living quarters which were to be engineered in India, constructed in Mexico, and installed in West Africa;
    • Multiple topside projects that were to be constructed and installed globally; and
    • Multiple pipeline and umbilical projects.
  • Represented a public oilfield services companies in charter vessel agreements, including agreements for diving support vessels and heavy lift transport vessels.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in $228 million purchase of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas assets.
  • Representation of a domestic energy company in the $202 million acquisition of three main complexes and field areas in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from a privately owned oil and gas company.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in the purchase of oil and gas assets in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for $550 million.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in its $193 million acquisition of certain shallow water U.S. Gulf of Mexico assets.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in drafting production handling agreements, construction and operating agreements, gas transportation and processing agreements for tie-back of deepwater production from Bass Lite in Green Canyon Gulf of Mexico to Devils’ Tower Deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in drafting EPC contracts for construction of flow lines and umbilicals to tie back production in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in drafting production handling agreements, construction and operating agreements for tie-back prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
  • Representation of oil and gas company in negotiations and drafting of Helix Well Containment arrangement in the post-Macondo environment.
  • Negotiation and drafting of offshore production handling agreements, tie back agreements and platform use agreements.

Drilling Contracts

  • Representation of public drilling contractors in offshore international and domestic drilling contracts for drillships, semisubmersibles, and jackups in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the Middle East, Mexico, Canada, the North Sea, Brazil, West Africa, and India.
  • Representation of a public drilling contractors in various international and domestic rig sharing agreements.
  • Representation of an oil and gas company in the renegotiation of a rig sharing contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico with a wholly-owned subsidiary of a major international oil and gas company.
  • Representation of international oil and gas company as local counsel in drafting drilling contracts in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
  • Representation of oil and gas company in post-Macondo negotiations of long-term drilling contracts in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico during the pendency of moratorium.


Professionals