Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. ($HLX)

Good morning, and welcome to today's conference call to discuss the combination of Helix Energy Solutions and Hornbeck Offshore as well as Helix's First Quarter 2026 results. Please note this event is being recorded. [Operator Instructions] You can find today's investor presentation as well as the press release regarding the transaction at each company's Investor Relations website. The press release regarding Helix's First Quarter 2026 Results can be found at Helix's Investor Relations website as well as the earnings presentation. I would now like to turn the call over to Erik Staffeldt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Helix. Please go ahead.

Thank you, and good morning. As highlighted, any forward-looking statements we make during today's conference call are given in the context of today only and are subject to important risks as discussed in the presentation. Actual results and events could differ materially from those discussed here. Please also refer to the additional information discussed on this slide as well as in our SEC filings. I'll now turn to a brief overview of Helix's first quarter 2026 results. Helix's team delivered another well-executed quarter, safety and efficiently providing our customers with world-class service. Our first quarter results reflect expected seasonal levels during the winter in the North Sea and Gulf of America shelf, impacting our well intervention, Robotics and Shallow Water Abandonment segments, and they reflect the cost of the successful workover of Thunder Hawk field. Revenues for the first quarter were $288 million with a gross profit of $9 million, resulting in a net loss of $13 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $32 million with operating cash flow of $62 million, resulting in free cash flow of $59 million. Highlights for the quarter include strong utilization on the Q4000 performing low intervention work at improved rates, the successful workover and recommencement of production of our Thunder Hawk field. A return to a 2-vessel market in the North Sea with the Seawell reactivation and return to operations, good utilization expected in 2026 and strong cash flow generation of $59 million, as I shared earlier. With that, our cash position and liquidity remains strong with $501 million of cash and $612 million of liquidity at the end of the quarter. Overall, our first quarter results were as expected, perhaps even marginally better than expected. The current macro environment remains uncertain, but we are seeing some positive developments in the markets we serve. Our comply disruptions, increased commodity prices and increased regulatory enforcement in the North Sea are providing positive catalysts that may drive increased activity by our customers for the balance of '26 and into '27. We also expect momentum to continue to build in the offshore market. With the results we delivered in Q1 and supported by our backlog in several key contracts, we are maintaining our guidance for 2026, revenue of $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion in line with 2025. EBITDA of $230 million to $290 million, impacted by the Thunder Hawk workover in Q1 and the upcoming Sea Helix 1 docking. CapEx of $70 million to $80 million, primarily a mix of regulatory maintenance on our vessels and intervention systems and fleet renewal by robotics ROVs. Free cash flow of $100 million to $160 million, we expect continued meaningful free cash flow generation with variability driven by ultimate working capital movements. Key forecast drivers for our annual guidance include second half utilization on the Q4000 and Q7000, late-season North Sea intervention market, strong markets for our Robotics fleet and the stable Shallow Water Abandonment segment. Our quarterly financial performance in 2026 is expected to follow the same cadence as previous year's results with the second and third quarters being our most active quarters and the first and fourth quarters impacted by winter weather. Our balance sheet is strong, $310 million of funded debt, $501 million of cash and a strong cash flow generation expected in 2026. If you have any questions on our quarterly results, our outlook for 2026, please feel free to reach out to our team directly. We will transition to the transaction announcement portion of the call. With that, I am joined by [ Bill Transier ], Helix's Chairman of the Board; Scotty Sparks, Helix's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Todd Hornbeck, Hornbeck's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Also joining us for the question-and-answer portion of the call will be Jim Harp, Hornbeck's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and [ Potter Adam ], Hornbeck's Senior Vice President of Finance. Now before I kick it over to Bill, I do want to note, we have slides supporting the following information on each company's Investor Relations website. So please feel free to refer to those as we go through the call. With that, Bill, over to you.

Thanks, Erik. By combining Helix and Hornbeck, we are bringing together 2 market leaders and establishing a premier integrated offshore services company poised to create value for current shareholders of both Hornbeck and Helix. There are many compelling benefits to this combination. First, the strategic combination will create a recognized leader in offshore operations with a diversified and expanded high-specification fleet of specialty vessels supported by Subsea robotics, well intervention and technical service capabilities, including transient Subsea pipelines and cables. Also, the combined company will provide innovative and integrated subsea and marine transportation solutions to customers across deepwater energy, defense and renewables, thereby expanding service offerings moving forward. Further, combining Helix's well intervention and robotic vessels with Hornbeck specialty and ultra-high specification offshore support vessels will allow us to offer a complementary end-to-end service offering that will materially expand the combined company's ability to meet a broader share of customers' deepwater needs spanning the offshore cycle. All of this, in combination with the significant annual revenue and cost synergies, the transaction is expected to generate of $75 million or more within 3 years following the close, make for a strong combination rationale. We'll dig deeper into the strategic and financial benefits shortly, and I do want to cover the terms of the transaction in more detail, too. First, I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to acknowledge Owen Kratz, Helix's President and Chief Executive Officer. For the significant role he has held in building Helix into what it is today. I want to announced last year his plan to retire from Helix. I'm sure you saw his quote in the press release reiterating his support for the transaction. He has agreed to support Todd through the close of the deal and will remain available thereafter as needed. He, along with the entire executive management team are committed to getting this combination across the line. With that, I'll turn to the highlights of the transaction. This is structured as an all-stock transaction, which will allow shareholders from both sides to participate in the significant upside potential of the combined company. The terms of the agreement, which are outlined in the press release we issued this morning have been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. At closing, which we expect to occur in the second half of 2026 subject to approval by Helix shareholders, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Helix shareholders will own approximately 45% of the combined company, and Hornbeck shareholders will have approximately 55% ownership. I will note the parties representing a significant majority of the ownership of Hornbeck, including [ Ares ] management funds, have delivered written consent approving the transaction. Through this combination, we will bring together 2 best-in-class teams with aligned cultures. Following the close, Todd Hornbeck will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the combined company. The combined company's Board of Directors will confide 7 directors, 3 of whom will be from Helix and 4 from Hornbeck, including Todd. I will serve as Chairman of the combined company's Board. Post closing, the combined company will operate under the Hornbeck Offshore Services name and trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and the ticker symbol HOS with the Helix brand to be retained for well intervention services. The combined company's headquarters will be in Houston, Texas and Covington, Louisiana. I also want to touch on why we're stronger and more competitive together as a combined company. In 2025, Helix had revenue and EBITDA of $1.3 billion and $272 million, respectively, with more than $500 million in cash at the end of the first quarter. When you include Hornbeck's 2025 annual results, the combined company will increase revenue and EBITDA by 56% and 106%, respectively. As well, we will have incremental growth drivers of 2 newbuild [ MPSVs ] and 23 vessels that will be available for reactivation. In summary, we believe this unique combination is a compelling opportunity to enhance value for Helix's shareholders and deliver sustainable long-term growth. Now Todd will provide you an overview of the Hornbeck.

Thank you, Bill. Let me start by sharing some background on Hornbeck. We're one of the preeminent market-leading providers of ultra high-spec marine logistics services to a broad range of offshore energy, infrastructure and defense customers. We have a leading deepwater high and ultra high-spec fleet with geographic footprint across the U.S., North of America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil. Our focus at the end of the day is tailored logistics solutions that address a broad spectrum of unique customer life of field requirements and we have proven operational capabilities and our unwavering commitments to safety and risk management as Helix does as well. We've also included key highlights of the company by the numbers, including approximately 71 vessels in our current fleet with 2 [ MPSPs ] under construction and expected to deliver in 2027 and giving us a pro forma fleet of 73 vessels with a fair market value of $2.8 billion. We generated adjusted EBITDA of $288 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 40% for fiscal year 2025. I'd also like to note that if you have any additional questions about Hornbeck as a company, in our financials, you can find that information in the appendix section of this presentation. We're also confident that this transaction maximizes value provides the best long-term prospects to deliver superior returns for our combined investors. We are pleased that all stock -- this is an all-stock consideration will allow Helix and Hornbeck investors to participate in the upside of this combination. With that, I'll turn it over to Scotty Sparks, Helix's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to walk you through the combined company's global presence and complementary business offerings.

Thank you, Todd. Another important benefit of this transaction is the geographical alignment of our 2 companies. Helix's credible presence in West Africa, Asia Pacific and the North Sea regions as well as the United States and Brazil and Hornbeck's [ concentration ] in the Americas, including Brazil and Mexico, creates a combined global footprint spanning the key offshore basins worldwide. The combined company's footprint will include capital protected markets will have direct access to leading offshore customers, enabling the delivery of premier deepwater services through a technologically advanced asset. This global presence translates to a diversified revenue stream with approximately half of the combined company's revenue expected to come from the United States, followed by Brazil and in the North Sea region. We also want to share more information on our combined customer base and how we expect to serve customers as a combined company. We provide essential services to many of the key organizations and companies that fuel the global economy. We see the integration of complementary service offerings, increasing our combined company's relevance with customers and creating unique cross-selling opportunities that will drive growth and improved margins. Further, the combined fleet of vessels and specialty equipment will enable comprehensive suites of combined services as a one-stop shop for customers while enhancing profitability through asset optimization and enhanced scale. Those companies have high-quality blue chip customers with him, we have developed strong in-depth relationships. Among our customers are global market-leading companies operating at the forefront of innovation in their respective fields. We are looking forward to delivering an enhanced offering of integrated solutions to our expanded customer base. On the outset, i'll turn it back to Todd talk for our world-class water fleet and seems to be a leading position in the [indiscernible] industry.

Thank you, Scotty. Now we mentioned a moment ago that together, Helix and Hornbeck will have a fleet of high-quality deepwater high-spec vessels. The combined company will focus on drill intervention, subsea and specialty services, robotics, ring transportation and emerging technologies to support the deepwater energy, defense and renewables markets. The combined company will have the highest specification fleet of specialty vessels designed to support deepwater life of field services globally. It will be the only company capable of providing [ riser-based ] well invention, subsea operations and IRM and surface vessel logistics support. Additionally, we are combining Helix's market leading position in subsea trenching of pipeline and cable with Hornbeck's leading position in providing support to offshore energy development. It's also important to note that the combined company will have increased exposure to the defense industry through a cutting-edge fleet supporting military operations and related capabilities. Together, Helix and Hornbeck will have operations that provide multiple types of defense services. This includes [ Circus ] and subsea vessels, vessel management and emerging technologies such as marine autonomy and artificial intelligence. These capabilities, along with advantages like trusted relationship with key officials and decades of experience in the industry will position the combined company extremely well to increase revenue and defense customers. Now I'd like to transition to an essential element of growth transactions that combined company's scale and growth platform and the significant synergy potential. We're confident that the combined company will be poised for future growth and shareholder value creation with a strong balance sheet, low leverage and a significant cash at the closing to advance the combined company's value-driven strategy. Importantly, this financial strength and projected substantial free cash flow generation will provide significant flexibility organic growth and investments in the business or other strategic M&A to increase long-term shareholder value creation. The combined company scale life-of-field business is expected to mitigate through cycle earnings volatility while also enabling flexible global asset deployment where the demand is strongest. As you'll see in the slide deck, another key part of why we're so confident in this combined company's strong financial profile going forward is significant synergies opportunities this transaction presents. Specifically, we expect to realize $75 million or more in annual cost and revenue synergies just within 3 years following the transaction. The synergies are expected to result from combined and integrated service offerings as well as expanded service offer to existing customers, driving revenue pull-through, we also -- the scale of the combined company's fleet will enable asset optimization, reducing reliance on third-party vessel charters and delivering efficiencies across maintenance, procurement and operations. In short, we expect to operate more efficiently and benefit from growth opportunities post closing. I'd now like to turn it back to Bill to close it out.

I'll wrap things up by reiterating that we believe this transaction represents an incredibly exciting opportunity for Helix and Hornbeck as well as both companies, shareholders and other stakeholders. By bringing these 2 leaders together, we will create an even stronger combined company designed to innovate, execute with scale and grow. I'd also like to take a moment just to thank the talented teams of both Helix and Hornbeck. This transaction reflects their continued hard work and dedication, and we would not have been able to reach this milestone without their efforts. I know I speak for the leadership teams of both companies when I say we are grateful for your many contributions. Thank you for joining us today. I'll now open the floor to questions. Operator, we'll take our first question now.

[Operator Instructions] And your first question comes from the line of [ Keith Bachman ] with Pickering Energy Partners.

Congratulations, guys. So I just wanted to I wanted to ask first, could you bucket the $75 million of synergies a little bit better? And then maybe that's over 3 years. What do you kind of expect the initial capture to be maybe within the first 6 months to 1year or so?

I think the capture will be revenue synergies and being able to combine these assets together to offer a full plentiful offering to the customers that should increase utilization across the board from ROVs and supply vessels, the subsea construction vessels and well intervention. So that combination and offering life of field services to be able to take to the full field development or full field decommissioning is a real added value to the customer base.

The crossover services that we've pulled together as one company provides some very good revenue synergies, but then there's also the size of the fleet provides good cost synergies on procurement and engineering and all those things as we create a much bigger fleet on a global basis.

And then my second question, which is kind of -- obviously, Hornbeck has had an advantage in kind of cabotage protected markets on a lot of the OSVs in the Americas. Now with the merger of the 2 companies, I mean, is there any plan over time to move some of the vessels outside of [ Cabotage ] markets and potentially go outside of the Americas, maybe West Africa, et cetera. Just any thoughts on that at all?

Our plan is we're going to be a growth company, and we plan to continue to grow every segment of the business. But we're going to move the assets where they're most valuable to the company and returns for the company. So we do have assets that can move across the globe and some of the largest and best assets in the industry, and we're going to move where the business is.

Congratulations again.

Your next question comes from the line of [ Ben Summers ] with BTIG.

Congrats on the announcement. So my first question is just on the $2 billion of backlog that you guys mentioned in the presentation. Just kind of curious around the duration of this backlog. And then any color you can give on just the makeup across now the various business lines.

So from -- Helix reports their backlog close to $1 billion, covering a significant portion this year and into next year. So the Helix portion of it is about $1 billion.

Hornbeck is about $1 billion as well. And that includes our long-term contracts with the military and the specialty vessels as well. As you know, we've been primarily a shorter-term player because of the type of assets that we have been able to -- on shorter-term contracts, you got a lot better returns. But this is the biggest backlog we've had, I think, in our history, showing you where the market is going and a lot of opportunity also in our fleet to turn and mark-to-market those vessels as well.

Awesome. Super helpful. And then I know you guys mentioned it in the prepared remarks, but just kind of on the strong balance sheet of the combined company. I guess kind of any color on what you're seeing in the market and then kind of just detailing a bit more on the potential growth opportunities or creation of shareholder value from that strong balance sheet?

Yes, I think we've got a superior balance sheet. A lot of cash on the balance sheet. Like I said, we're going to grow all the divisions between the ROV Subsea group and well intervention and supply vessels. So we're looking forward to grow on it to be an international player worldwide, not just -- our main focus is right now or has been with the company is about 50% of revenue coming out of the U.S. Gulf or the America -- Gulf of America, but we see great opportunities of growth in Brazil. The whole South America Northern flank of South America with Colombia and Guyana and Surinam of that whole region. Also West Africa is showing great signs of opportunity as well. So with this balance sheet, we should be able to really move the company forward with a lot of opportunities whether they're organic or acquisitions as well.

Congrats again.

Your next question comes from the line of James Schumm with TD Cowen.

The $75 million of synergies, can you -- did you say what the split was between revenue and cost synergies there? And then...

No, we haven't. We're going to have more of that in the merger proxy, but the majority of it probably would be from revenue synergies and cost efficiencies by putting the companies together and streamlining our services. But the company is -- that much in services. That's what makes this combination such a strong combination putting together because where we didn't have robotics and all the tooling and whatnot, we had the MPSVs [ heavy iron ], Helix has all that, where we were not in well intervention or decommissioning that when you're in that business as well, they need supply vessels, MPSVs and all the things that we have. So we don't overlap a lot. So that's what's great about this. We're going to be able to build all of that and retool the business model to be able to grow in all of those areas.

What we will be able to do is offer a very good bundled service. So if you take a deepwater field decommissioning program, we have the Helix assets that can do all the deepwater P&A and the well work. Now we have the construction assets to take away the subsea infrastructure. We have the supply boats to support the subsea infrastructure takeaway and the wells P&A work. We can offer that to 1 client take away their procurement costs and give them 1 contract. So that's quite compelling. There will always be some oil procurement companies out there that won't like that, but there will be a bunch of oil companies out there that see the cost benefits of 1 contract and 1 service.

Okay. Great. And I haven't covered OSVs in 12 or 13 years. Can you help me -- what's the capital intensity of this business now just in terms of CapEx to sales?

I'll tell you, the -- on the OSV side, we're strictly deepwater, ultra-deepwater with the largest [ PSVs ] in the world. So a lot of them are [ capitas ] protected in the U.S. We have a big presence in Brazil and Mexico and the whole South America. Right now, the market is basically an equilibrium by the second half of this year just with the demand that's coming from the additional rigs coming online, we see that market getting very tight and a lot of revenue growth there or day rate expansion there as well. With the subsea construction market, and you know how many trees and installations that are going in, in deepwater over the next several years. Those vessels also work very, very well in the subsea construction area and also in renewables in the defense market. Our defense market is really looking good. And you know why I just read the paper, and they like the large PSVs to accommodate that business.

And you have vessels to bring back into the market too. Yes, it won't cost you really minor capital.

So minor capital, yes, we've got 23 vessels that we can reactivate as this market goes under supplied. Whether it's renewables, defense or drilling support or subsea support. And those are vessels that have been preserved and in good shape and very low cost to reactivate to put in the market.

And because I was just going to ask about the 2 new MPSVs that you have, like what the capital requirements are left on those? Are they substantial? Or can you say?

We really don't have any capital requirements to talk about very much left. We have about $50 million, I think, left to spend on those vessels for delivery, but very low cost entry for those vessels, unique nature. They'll be the largest in MPSVs in the U.S. life fleet. And we're really excited about the robotics and the subsea infrastructure and on all everything that Helix is doing and folding that into that program. So defense markets, renewable markets and deepwater subsea construction markets are really anxious to get those [ pans ] of those vessels.

When those vessels sit in '27, they're going to be the highest spec Jones Act vessels, and then we'll be combining Helix robotics into those vessels as well. So it'll be quite unique and ultra high-spec vessels for the Jones Act Gulf of America fleet.

Congrats.

[Operator Instructions] And our next question comes from the line of Don Crist with Johnson Rice.

I'll echo my sentiments for a good deal. Congrats. Since I cover Helix and have for a while, Scotty, can you walk around the world and kind of talk about demand like you normally do on an earnings call. I know there's been a lot of of rig contracts let recently that soaked up a lot of white space. And can you just kind of walk around the world and tell us how that is influencing activity for the 4,000 in Well Enhancer and Seawell going forward throughout the rest of the year?

Sure. So firstly, the North Sea, as you know, last year, we had some headwinds against us and had to stack one of the vessels. I'm happy to report now that we have both vessels are actively working, and we're expecting good utilization for the manholes in the North Sea. We're seeing high demand for decommissioning in the North Sea and starting to see a slight improvement in rates. So that debt that went with our [ past ] area is behind us, I got to think. In the America, we're seeing more production enhancement activity. We have the Q5000 out currently working for Shell, the Q4000 out working for [ Oxy ] and Oxy and others are looking to add more wells because of the obviously increase in the price of oil is looking to February enhancement activity. The Q7000 has recently finished up with Shell in Brazil. Sorry, we'll finish up at the end of this month. And then we're very close to taking that vessel to Nigeria again and that's looking good, very close to being contracted. And then we expect to take that vessel back to Brazil where there's high levels of activity and good tendering activity for that vessel. The 2 Sea Helix 1 and Sea Helix 2 are under long-term contracts in Brazil. So our 1 intervention segment looks very good at the moment, we're improving activity and increasing rates going forward. The robotics side is very busy. As you know, our Trenching side of the company is very, very active, high utilization, very much increased rates, increasing rates year-over-year. We have work booked out in '26, '27 on Trenching, work booked out all the way to 2030 in bid activity and a very good pipeline of activity out to 2032 on the Trenching side. And then the robotics business is strengthened and bringing these 2 companies together, there's good opportunities for putting ROVs with high-class vessels in the Gulf of America. So very confident by the end of this year, we'll have no ROVs available to the market. We might have to look at starting to place capital to increase spend on growth activity.

I appreciate that. And can you just comment on day rates? I know day rates for the offshore drillers have been kind of flat on these contract renewals, but are you seeing any urgency from customers seeing white space go away and urgency and contracting given recent events in the Middle East and oil price running up?

We talk about this each quarter, Don, and I would say it's relatively flat at the moment in the Gulf. We are seeing increased rig activity that will lead into end of '26 '27 to increased rates. We have definitely seen an increase in rates and better activity in the North Sea and we're stable and locked into long-term contracts in Brazil. So it's definitely increased and better environment than where we were 2 or 3 quarters ago.

Okay. I appreciate that. And Todd, just one for you. Any changes in Mexico? I know you've had a presence there for a while, but not really worked for the government down there. But any improvement down there that can soak up any of the boats that came back to the U.S. side of the Gulf of America going back to Mexico anytime soon?

Well, as you know, we've got a large component of Mexican flag vessels in Mexico, and that's a [ cap ] test protected market. And yes, there's been upside even though the turmoil with with [ Pemex ] that unfolded over the last few years, we were not levered to that company. So [ Woodside ] just started the [ Triumph ] project, and we have 4 long-term contracts with [ Woodside ], and that has started in earnest now in February. So that will go for many years. We also have a 10-year commitment for all their marine support for supply vessels for the next 10 years. So for that development of that field. What we're seeing in Mexico, though is a little bit of a change in tone with bringing IOCs back into the country. A couple of years ago under [ Amwell ] they really wanted to get all the IOCs out and all the foreign companies out of Mexico. That's turned around. It looks like we're seeing a green shoots starting to happen at other IOCs are interested in doing structures like [ Woodside ] had done there. So it looks promising. I think over the next couple of years, we're going to see some growth in Mexico. Mexico is Mexico. So we've been down there a long time and done very well in that market.

Congrats again, guys.

Your next question comes from the line of Josh Jayne with Daniel Energy Partners.

First one for me, Todd, maybe you could just go into a bit more detail on the your views on OSV supply and demand. Ultimately, you mentioned some vessels going back to work. Maybe you could just elaborate on your views on the market, not only in the markets that you serve, but just opportunities elsewhere. It would just be good to hear your views today.

Yes. I think the market -- on the big -- look, we're just really focused on above 4,000 deadweight class all the way to 6,000. So ultra-deepwater is where our bread and butter is and that market has traded very thinly now. A lot of capacity is term contracted because Petrobras soaked up a lot of tonnage as we know. And with the rigs in the second half of the year coming back online, we see that marketing tightening. Our rates are, I can say, leading [ age ] rates are in the mid-40s, but they're kind of all over the board because it's been a little [ slope ] with the white space but our rigs seem to held up very well. The second half of the year is where we really see the growth opportunity in the market getting really, really tight for the supply-demand imbalance. But the subsea construction market, the renewables market and our defense market is doing extremely well. So we're servicing a lot of that market with the PSVs today. On our total revenue, about 70% of our revenues come from the specialty business, not from the drill bit. So that's a testament of the type of equipment that we have.

And then on the ROV side, it was alluded to a little bit in the last answer, but is this transaction -- I know Helix has been a bit conservative to spend capital. But when we think about the tightness of the ROV business, is this the type of transaction that has the potential, just given the tightness of that market to accelerate capital spending sort of over the next few years? And then could you update us on lead times for for ROVs today? That's my final question.

I think, Scotty, he can answer the lead times, but you're correct. That market is very tight. But I think there's opportunities there besides, you can always build ROVs, and that takes -- he'll tell you how long that takes and what the cost is. But I think there may be opportunities out there now that we've put this together of ROV opportunities and other opportunities in the company and do some acquisitive and grow our platform.

I think one of the good side of the ROV business is we can scale up very quickly. And so to build a new ROV right now is a 6-month lead time. And if we did a batch build, every month after we can have another ROV. So we can scale up the ROV business very quickly. There's also, Hornbeck at this time, they hire ROVs in and now will be an internal cost to Hornbeck. So we can scale up very quickly and bring the 2 services together.

Yes. If we can't find adequate equipment out there on the ROV side and the tooling side, we can be in the market very, very quickly with what Scott is saying. So it will happen one way or the other on it.

Yes. And we're also seeing an increased demand for ROV activity in the renewables business in Taiwan and the APAC region as well. So there's lot of growth potential on the ROV side, the robotics side. We also have some plans. We have, as a robotics company, have never been an IRM company. And as we bring these 2 companies together, we're definitely going to build an IRM division, which leads to further growth as well.

Congrats on the transaction.

And your next question comes from the line of James Shumm with TD Cowen.

Just the Hornbeck net debt, did I calculate that right? Is that around $480 million?

No, that's the gross debt. That's gross debt. Our cash is under -- between 75 and 180, 90, something like that. And the 440 is close debt.

I said 480. So what do you have -- what's your net debt? Is it 380? Or what's the net debt? .

Yes, around 380.

Okay. And then maybe just one for the Helix guys. I mean how do you position this for your shareholders? Like why is this a good deal for the Helix shareholders

This is Bill. I'll take that on. First of all, if you can't sell the enthusiasm of these 2 guys across the table have been talking about their combined businesses, it represents a really kind of a unique opportunity for these companies to come together and do more than they could on a stand-alone basis. And I think that's what Helix has been looking at for quite a while, is it was a good company, well run, like Hornbeck, good capital structure, but it was only so big and the ability to kind of build scale, reduce cost of capital and do some of the things that Scotty are talking about in terms of growing the business, this makes for a better outcome going forward, a real growth company that can deliver significant shareholder value going down the road. So I look at that as the compelling reasons why. And we're excited about it.

I'm not showing any further questions in the queue. I will now turn it back over to the company for closing remarks.

Thank you for joining us today. We appreciate your interest in today's call that highlighted the exciting opportunity that the combination of Helix and Hornbeck creates for our investors and customers. Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's call. Thank you all for joining. You may now disconnect.