UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.    )

Filed by the Registrantþ

Filed by a Party other than the Registranto¨

Check the appropriate box:

o¨Preliminary Proxy Statement
o¨Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)14a-6(e)(2))
þDefinitive Proxy Statement
o¨Definitive Additional Materials
o¨Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

McDermott International, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

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LOGO

 


(McDermott International, Inc. Logo)McDermott International, Inc.

 
Stephen M. Johnson 
John A. Fees777757 N. Eldridge Pkwy.
Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer Houston, Texas 77079
March 26, 2010

March 30, 2012

Dear Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend this year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders of McDermott International, Inc., which will be held on Friday,Thursday, May 7, 2010,10, 2012, at 757 N. Eldridge Parkway, Houston, Texas 77079, on the 14th14th floor, commencing at 9:3010:00 a.m. local time. The notice of annual meetingAnnual Meeting and proxy statement following this letter describe the matters to be acted on at the meeting.

McDermott is pleased to, again, be taking advantage ofutilizing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Notice and Access proxy rule, which allows companies to furnish proxy materials via the Internet as an alternative to the traditional approach of mailing a printed set to each stockholder. In accordance with these rules, we have sent a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to all shareholdersstockholders who have not previously elected to receive a printed set of proxy materials. The Notice contains instructions on how to access our 20102012 Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Shareholders,Stockholders, as well as how to vote either online, by telephone or in person at the 20102012 Annual Meeting.

It is very important that your shares are represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. Please vote your shares by Internet or telephone, or, if you received a printed set of materials by mail, by returning the accompanying proxy card, as soon as possible to ensure that your shares are voted at the meeting. Further instructions on how to vote your shares can be found in our Proxy Statement.

Thank you for your support of our company.

Sincerely yours,

LOGO

STEPHEN M. JOHNSON

-s- John A. Fees
JOHN A. FEES

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.

Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please take a few minutes now to vote your shares.


Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to Bebe Held on May 7, 2010.
10, 2012.

The proxy statement and annual report are available on the Internet at www.proxyvote.com.

The following information applicable to the Annual Meeting may be found in the proxy statement and accompanying proxy card:

The date, time and location of the meeting;

A list of the matters intended to be acted on and our recommendations regarding those matters;

•    The date, time and location of the meeting;
•    A list of the matters intended to be acted on and our recommendations regarding those matters;
•    Any control/identification numbers that you need to access your proxy card; and
•    

Any control/identification numbers that you need to access your proxy card; and

Information about attending the meeting and voting in person.


McDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC.

777757 N. Eldridge Pkwy.

Houston, Texas 77079

NOTICEOF 2012 ANNUAL MEETINGOF STOCKHOLDERS

Notice of 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of McDermott International, Inc., a Panamanian corporation, will be held at 757 N. Eldridge Parkway, Houston, Texas 77079, on the 14th floor, on Friday, May 7, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. local time, in order to:
(1) elect eleven members to our Board of Directors, each for a term of one year;
(2) ratify our Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2010; and
(3) transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.
If you were a stockholder as of the close of business on March 8, 2010, you are entitled to vote at the meeting and at any adjournment thereof.
Instead of mailing a printed copy of our proxy materials, including our Annual Report, to each shareholder of record, we are providing access to these materials via the Internet. This reduces the amount of paper necessary to produce these materials, as well as the costs associated with mailing these materials to all shareholders. Accordingly, on March 26, 2010, we began mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to all shareholders of record as of March 8, 2010, and posted our proxy materials on the Web site referenced in the Notice(www.proxyvote.com). As more fully described in the Notice, all shareholders may choose to access our proxy materials on the Web site referred to in the Notice or may request a printed set of our proxy materials. In addition, the Notice and Web site provide information regarding how you may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis.
If you received a printed copy of the materials, we have enclosed a copy of our 2009 Annual Report to Stockholders with this notice and proxy statement.
Your vote is important. Please vote your proxy promptly so your shares can be represented, even if you plan to attend the annual meeting. You can vote by Internet, by telephone, or by requesting a printed copy of the proxy materials and using the enclosed proxy card.

Time and Date

10:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 10, 2012

Place

757 N. Eldridge Parkway
14th Floor
Houston, Texas 77079

Items of Business

1.

To elect eight members to our Board of Directors, each for a term of one year.

2.

To conduct an advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation.

3.

To ratify our Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2012.

4.

To transact such other business that properly comes before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

Record Date

You are entitled to vote if you were a stockholder of record at the close of business on March 12, 2012.

Notice and Access

Instead of mailing a printed copy of our proxy materials, including our Annual Report, to each stockholder of record, we are providing access to these materials via the Internet. This reduces the amount of paper necessary to produce these materials, as well as the costs associated with mailing these materials to all stockholders. Accordingly, on March 30, 2012, we began mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to all stockholders of record as of March 12, 2012, and posted our proxy materials on the Web site referenced in the Notice (www.proxyvote.com). As more fully described in the Notice, all stockholders may choose to access our proxy materials on the Web site referred to in the Notice and/or may request a printed set of our proxy materials. In addition, the Notice and Web site provide information regarding how you may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis.

Proxy Voting

Your vote is important. Please vote your proxy promptly so your shares can be represented, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting. You can vote by Internet, by telephone, or by requesting a printed copy of the proxy materials and using the proxy card enclosed with the printed materials.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

-s- Liane K. Hinrichs

LOGO

LIANE K. HINRICHS

Secretary

Dated:

March 26, 201030, 2012


PROXY STATEMENTFOR 2012 ANNUAL MEETINGOF STOCKHOLDERS

TABLEOF CONTENTS

Proxy Statement for 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Table of Contents

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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners

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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

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QUESTIONSAND ANSWERSABOUTTHE ANNUAL MEETINGOF STOCKHOLDERSAND VOTING

What is the purpose of these proxy materials?

General Information
As more fully described in the Notice, the Board of Directors of McDermott International, Inc. (“McDermott”) has made these materials available to you over the Internet or, upon your request, has mailed you printed versions of these materials in connection with our 20102012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will take place on May 7, 2010.10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. local time (the “Annual Meeting” or “Meeting”). We mailed the Notice to our shareholdersstockholders beginning March 26, 2010,30, 2012, and our proxy materials were posted on the Web site referenced in the Notice on that same date.

McDermott, on behalf of its Board of Directors, is soliciting your proxy to vote your shares at the 20102012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We solicit proxies to give all shareholdersstockholders of record an opportunity to vote on matters that will be presented at the annual meeting.Annual Meeting. In this proxy statement, you will find information on these matters, which is provided to assist you in voting your shares.

Proxy materials have been sent or access to

Who will pay for the materials has been provided to you because our Boardcost of Directors is soliciting yourthis proxy to vote your shares at our Annual Meeting to be held on May 7, 2010. solicitation?

We will bear all expenses incurred in connection with this proxy solicitation, which we expect to conduct primarily by mail. We have engaged The Proxy Advisory Group, LLC to assist in the solicitation for a fee that will not exceed $10,000,$12,500, plusout-of-pocket expenses. In addition, our officers and regular employees may solicit your proxy by telephone, by facsimile transmission or in person, for which they will not be separately compensated. If your shares are held through a broker or other nominee (i.e.i.e., in “street name”) and you have requested printed versions of these materials, we have requested that your broker or nominee forward this proxy statement to you and obtain your voting instructions, for which we will reimburse them for reasonableout-of-pocket expenses. If your shares are held through the McDermott Thrift Plan for Employees of McDermott Incorporated and Participating Subsidiary and Affiliated Companies (the “McDermott Thrift Plan”) and you have requested printed versions of these materials, the trustee of that plan has sent you this proxy statement and you can instruct the trustee on how to vote your plan shares.

Voting Information

Record Date and Who May Voteis entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?

Our Board of Directors selected March 8, 201012, 2012 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for determining stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. This means that if you were a registered stockholder with our transfer agent and registrar, Computershare Trust Company, N.A.,owned McDermott common

stock on the Record Date, you may vote your shares on the matters to be considered by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting. If your shares

There were held in street name on that date, you should refer to the instructions provided by your broker or nominee for further information. They are seeking your instructions on how you want your shares voted. As a result of a change in the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the election of directors is no longer considered a routine matter. That means that brokers may not vote your shares in the election of directors if you have not given your broker specific instructions as to how to vote. Please be sure to give specific voting instructions to your broker.

On the Record Date, 230,840,040235,564,418 shares of our common stock were outstanding.outstanding on the Record Date. Each outstanding share of common stock entitles its holder to one vote on each matter to be acted on at the meeting.

What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner through a brokerage account or other arrangement with a holder of record?

If your shares are registered in your name with McDermott’s transfer agent and registrar, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., you are the “stockholder of record” of those shares. The Notice and the proxy materials have been provided or made available directly to you by McDermott.

If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other holder of record, you are considered the “beneficial owner” but not the holder of record of those shares, and the Notice and the proxy materials have been forwarded to you by your broker, bank or other holder of record. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other holder of record how to vote your shares by using the voting instruction card or by following their instructions for voting by telephone or on the Internet.

How to Votedo I cast my vote?

Most shareholdersstockholders can vote by proxy in three ways:

 

by Internet at www.proxyvote.com;

•    by telephone; or
•    by mail.www.proxyvote.com;

by telephone; or

by mail.

If you are a stockholder of record, you can vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting or vote now by giving us your proxy. You may give us your proxy by following the instructions included in the Notice or, if you received a printed version of these proxy materials, in the enclosed proxy card. If you want to vote by mail but have not received a printed version of these proxy materials, you may request a full packet of proxy materials through the instructions in the Notice. If you vote using either telephone or the Internet, you will save us mailmailing expense.

 

By giving us your proxy, you will be directing us how to vote your shares at the meeting. Even if you plan on attending the meeting, we urge you to vote now by giving us your proxy. This will ensure that your vote is represented at the meeting. If you do attend the meeting, you can change your vote at that time, if you then desire to do so.

If youryou are the beneficial owner but not the holder of record, of shares are held in street name, you should refer to the instructions provided by your broker or nominee for further information. The broker or nominee that holds your shares has the authority to vote them, absent your approval, only as to matters for which they have discretionary authority under the applicable New York Stock Exchange rules. For all


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other matters,Neither the broker or nomineeelection of directors nor the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation are considered routine matters. That means that holdsbrokers may not vote your shares will needwith respect to obtainthose matters if you have not given your authorizationbroker specific instructions as to vote those shares. how to vote. Please be sure to give specific voting instructions to your broker.

If you received a printed version of these proxy materials, you should have received a voting instruction form from your broker or nominee that holds your shares. For shares held in street name,of which you are the beneficial owner but not the holder of record, follow the instructions contained in the Notice or voting instruction form to vote by Internet, telephone or mail. If you want to vote by mail but have not received a printed version of these proxy materials, you may request a full packet of proxy materials as instructed by the Notice. If you want to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from your broker or nominee. You should contact your broker or nominee or refer to the instructions provided by your broker or nominee for further information.

Additionally, the availability of telephone or Internet voting depends on the voting process used by the broker or nominee that holds your shares.

Why did I receive more than one Notice or proxy statement and proxy card or voting instruction form?

You may receive more than one Notice or proxy statement and proxy card or voting instruction form if your shares are held through more than one account (e.g., through different brokers or nominees). Each proxy card or voting instruction form only covers those shares of common stock held in the applicable account. If you hold shares in more than one account,

you will have to provide voting instructions as to all your accounts to vote all your shares.

How to Change Your VoteWhat can I do if I change my mind after I vote?

For shares held

If you are a stockholder of record, you may change your vote by written notice to our Corporate Secretary, by granting a new proxy before the Annual Meeting or by voting in person at the Annual Meeting. Unless you attend the meeting and vote your shares in person, you should change your vote before the meeting using the same method (by telephone, Internet or mail) that you first used to vote your shares. That way, the inspectors of election for the meeting will be able to verify your latest vote.

For

If you are the beneficial owner, but not the holder of record, of shares held in street name,, you should follow the instructions in the information provided by your broker or nominee to change your vote.vote before the meeting. If you want to change your vote as to shares held in street nameof which you are the beneficial owner by voting in person at the Annual Meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from the broker or nominee that holds those shares for you.

QuorumWhat is a broker non-vote?

If you are a beneficial owner whose shares are held of record by a broker or other holder of record, you must instruct the broker or other holder of record how to vote your shares. If you do not provide voting instructions, your shares will not be voted on any proposal on which the broker does not have discretionary authority to vote. This is called a “broker non-vote.” In these cases, the broker or other holder of record can include your shares as being present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum but will not be able to vote on those matters for which specific authorization is required under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).

With respect to this Annual Meeting, if you are a beneficial owner whose shares are held by a broker or other holder of record, your broker or other holder of record has discretionary voting authority under NYSE rules to vote your shares on the ratification of Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”), even if it has not received voting instructions from you. However, such holder does not have discretionary authority to vote on the election of directors or the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation without instructions from you, in which case a broker non-vote will occur and your shares will not be voted on those matters.

 

What is the quorum for the Annual Meeting?

The Annual Meeting will be held only if a quorum exists. The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock as of the Record Date will constitute a quorum. If you attend the meeting or vote your shares by Internet, telephone or mail, your shares will be counted toward a quorum, even if you abstain from voting on a particular matter. Shares held by brokers and other nomineesBroker non-votes will be treated as to which they have not received voting instructions frompresent for the beneficial owners and lackpurpose of determining a quorum.

Which items will be voted on at the discretionary authority to vote on a particular matter are called “broker non-votes” and will count for quorum purposes.

Proposals to Be Voted On; Vote Required; and How Votes are CountedAnnual Meeting?
We

At the Annual Meeting, we are asking you to vote on the following:

•    the election of John F. Bookout, III, Roger A. Brown, Ronald C. Cambre, John A. Fees, Robert W. Goldman, Stephen G. Hanks, Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr., D. Bradley McWilliams, Admiral Richard W. Mies, Thomas C. Schievelbein and David A. Trice to our Board of Directors, each for a term of one year; and
•    the ratification of our Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2010.
Each proposal, including

the election of directors, requires the affirmative voteJohn F. Bookout, III, Roger A. Brown, Stephen G. Hanks, Stephen M. Johnson, D. Bradley McWilliams, Thomas C. Schievelbein, Mary L. Shafer-Malicki and David A. Trice to our Board of a majority of the shares of our common stock present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the matter. In the election of directors, you may vote “FOR” all director nominees or withhold your vote for any one or more of the director nominees. For the ratification of our Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte, you may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” or abstain from voting. Because abstentions are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present but are not affirmative votesDirectors, each for a proposal, they have term of one year;

the same effect as an “AGAINST” vote.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, in an uncontested election of directors, the Board expects any incumbent director nominee who does not receive a “FOR”advisory vote by a majority of shares present in person or by proxyto approve named executive officer compensation; and entitled to vote on the matter to promptly tender his or her resignation to the Governance Committee, subject to acceptance by our Board.


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Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Governance Committee will make a recommendation to the Board with respect to the director nominee’s resignation and the Board will consider the recommendation and take appropriate action within 120 days from the date of the certification of the election results.
If you submit a signed proxy card without specifying your vote, your shares will be voted “FOR” the election of all director nominees and the ratification of our Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2010. If you hold your shares in street name and you do not instruct your broker or nominee how to vote those shares, they may vote your shares as they decide as to matters for which they have discretionary authority under the applicable New York Stock Exchange rules. Your broker will be entitled to vote your shares in its discretion, absent instructions from you, on the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm. As a result of recent New York Stock Exchange rule changes, your broker will no longer be entitled to vote your shares in its discretion in the election of directors. If you hold your shares in street name and you do not instruct your broker how to vote in the election of directors, no votes will be cast on your behalf on that matter. Broker non-votes are not considered a vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” a proposal and therefore will have no effect on the vote on the election of directors or on the ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm.2012.

If you are a shareholder of record and you do not cast your vote, no votes will be cast on your behalf on any of the items of business at the Annual Meeting.

We are not aware of any other matters that may be presented or acted on at the meeting.Annual Meeting. If you vote by signing and returning the enclosed proxy card or using the telephone or Internet voting procedures, the individuals named as proxies on the card may vote your shares, in their discretion, on any other matter requiring a stockholder vote that comes before the meeting.

What are the Board’s voting recommendations?

For the reasons set forth in more detail later in this proxy statement, our Board recommends a vote:

FOR the election of each director nominee;

FOR the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation; and

FOR the ratification of our Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2012.

Confidential VotingWhat are the voting requirements to elect the Directors and to approve each of the proposals discussed in this proxy statement?

Our By-Laws provide that, in all matters arising at a stockholders’ meeting, a majority of the voting power of our outstanding shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote and actually voting on the matter shall be necessary and sufficient for approval, except where some larger percentage is required by applicable law or our Articles of Incorporation. No such larger percentage is applicable to any of the items we are asking you to vote on at the Annual Meeting. Because abstentions are not actual votes with respect to a proposal, they will have no effect on the outcome of the vote on a proposal.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, in an uncontested election of directors, the Board expects any incumbent director nominee who does not receive a “FOR” vote by a majority of shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote and actually voting on the matter to promptly tender his or her resignation to the Governance Committee, subject to acceptance by our Board. The Governance Committee will then make a recommendation to the Board with respect to the director nominee’s resignation and the Board will consider the recommendation and take appropriate action within 120 days from the date of the certification of the election results.

What happens if I do not specify a choice for a proposal when returning a proxy or do not cast my vote?

You should specify your choice for each proposal on your proxy card or voting instruction form. Shares represented by proxies will be voted in accordance with the instructions given by the stockholders.

If you are a stockholder of record and your proxy card is signed and returned without voting instructions, it will be voted according to the recommendations of our Board. If you do not return your proxy card or cast your vote, no votes will be cast on your behalf on any of the items of business at the Annual Meeting.

If you are the beneficial owner, but not the holder of record, of shares and fail to provide voting instructions, your broker or other holder of record is permitted to vote your shares on the ratification of Deloitte as our independent registered public

 

accounting firm. However, absent instructions from you, your broker or other holder of record may not vote on the election of directors or the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation, and no votes will be cast on your behalf for those matters.

Is my vote confidential?

All voted proxies and ballots will be handled in a manner intended to protect your voting privacy as a stockholder. Your vote will not be disclosed except:

to meet any legal requirements;

•    to meet any legal requirements;
•    

in limited circumstances such as a proxy contest in opposition to our Board of Directors;

•    to permit independent inspectors of election to tabulate and certify your vote; or
•    to adequately respond to your written comments on your proxy card.


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Election of Directors
(ITEM 1)
Historically, our Board of Directors has been classified into three classes, with the termDirectors;

to permit independent inspectors of office of one class expiring each year. In 2007, with the approval of our stockholders, we amended ourelection to tabulate and certify your vote; or

to adequately respond to your written comments on your proxy card.

ELECTIONOF DIRECTORS

(ITEM 1)

Our Articles of Incorporation to phase out the classificationprovide that, at each annual meeting of our Board by 2010. Beginning with this year’s Annual Meeting, our Board will no longer be classified andstockholders, all directors willshall be subject toelected annually for a term expiring at the next succeeding annual election. Currently,meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. Accordingly, our Board has eleven members. Stephen G. Hanks and David A. Trice each were appointed as a director in May 2009.

The term of office of all of our directors will expire at this year’s Annual Meeting. Onnominated the nomination of our Board, John F. Bookout, III, Roger A. Brown, Ronald C. Cambre, John A. Fees, Robert W. Goldman, Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr., D. Bradley McWilliams, Richard W. Mies and Thomas C. Schievelbein will standfollowing eight persons for reelection as directors at this year’s Annual Meeting for a term of one year andyear: John F. Bookout, III, Roger A. Brown, Stephen G. Hanks, Stephen M. Johnson, D. Bradley McWilliams, Thomas C. Schievelbein, Mary L. Shafer-Malicki and David A. Trice will stand for election as directors at this year’s Annual Meeting for a term of one year.
Trice.

Our By-Laws provide that (1) a person shall not be nominated for election or reelection to our Board of Directors if such person shall have attained the age of 72 prior to the date of election or re-electionreelection, and (2) any director who attains the age of 72 during his or her term shall be deemed to have resigned and retired at the first Annual Meeting following his or her attainment of the age of 72. Accordingly, a director nominee may stand for election if he or she has

not attained the age of 72 prior to the date of election or reelection.

Unless otherwise directed, the persons named as proxies on the enclosed proxy card intend to vote “FOR” the election of each of the nominees. If any nominee should become unavailable for election, the shares will be voted for such substitute nominee as may be proposed by our Board of Directors. However, we are not aware of any circumstances that would prevent any of the nominees from serving. However, as we announced on December 7, 2009, we are pursuing the separation

In nominating individuals to become members of the business and operations of our Power Generation Systems and Government Operations segments from the rest of our operations, through a spin-off distribution to our stockholders of all the common stock of The Babcock & Wilcox Company. In this proxy statement, we refer to The Babcock & Wilcox Company and all of our subsidiaries in those two segments collectively as “B&W.” In connection with that spin-off, we contemplate that some of our directors will become directors of B&W and will resign from our Board of Directors (though it is possible that one or more may serve on the Board of Directors, the Governance Committee considers the experience, qualifications, and skills of each company). Ourpotential member. Each nominee brings a strong and unique background and set of skills to the Board, giving the Board as a whole competence and experience in a wide variety of areas. The Governance Committee and the Board of Directors has not yet determined which of its members may be designatedconsidered the following information, including the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills, in concluding each individual was an appropriate nominee to serve as directors of the newly public B&W, although it is contemplated that John A. Fees, Chief Executive Officer and one of our directors, would serve as non-executive Chairman of the Board of B&W. The spin-off transaction is subject to various conditions precedent, including approvala member of our Board of Directors. There can be no assurance thatfor the spin-off transaction will be completed.


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Set forth below is certain informationterm commencing at this year’s Annual Meeting (ages are as of May 7, 2010) with respect to each nominee for election to serve as a director after this year’s Annual Meeting.10, 2012).

 

Our Board recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” each of the nominees named below.

John F. Bookout, III
  Director Since 2006
Age — 56
Finance Committee — Member
Governance Committee — Member

Age — 58

Finance Committee — Member

Governance Committee — Member

Mr. Bookout has served as a Managing Director of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., a private equity firm, since March 2008. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor to First Reserve Corporation, a private equity firm specializing in the energy industry, from 2006 to March 2008. Until 2006, he was a director of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, which he joined in 1978. Mr. Bookout previously served as a director of Tesoro Corporation from2006-2010. The Board of Directors is nominating Mr. Bookout in consideration of his:

global experience with the petroleum refining and marketing industry and oil and gas exploration and development industry;

expertise in private equity and finance; and

experience as a board member of public companies, including McDermott.

Roger A. Brown  
Roger A. Brown
Director Since 2005
Age — 65
Compensation Committee — Member
Governance Committee — Chairman

Age — 67

Compensation Committee — Member

Governance Committee — Chairman

From 2005 until his retirement in 2007, Mr. Brown was Vice President, Strategic Initiatives of Smith International, Inc., a supplier of goods and services to the oil and gas exploration and production industry, the petrochemical industry and other industrial markets. Mr. Brown was President of Smith Technologies (a business unit of Smith International, Inc.) from 1998 until 2005. Mr. Brown has also served as a director of Ultra Petroleum CorporationCorp. since 2007.2007 and Boart Longyear Limited since 2010. The Board of Directors is nominating Mr. Brown in consideration of his:

executive leadership experience in the oil and gas exploration and production industry;

knowledge of corporate governance issues; and

experience as a board member of public companies, including McDermott.

Stephen G. Hanks  
Ronald C. Cambre
Director Since 2000
Age — 71
Chairman of the Board

Mr. Cambre has served as our Chairman since October 1, 2008. From January 1995 until December 2001, Mr. Cambre was Chairman of the Board of Newmont Mining Corporation, an international mining company, and he served as its Chief Executive Officer from November 1993 until his retirement in December 2000. He was also President of Newmont Mining Corporation from June 1994 to July 1999. Mr. Cambre has also served as a director of Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc. (formerly, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.) since 1996 and W.R. Grace & Co. since 1998, and previously served as a director of Inco Limited from2000-2006.
John A. Fees
Director Since 2008
Age — 52
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Fees has been Chief Executive Officer of McDermott since October 2008. He joined our company in 1979 and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of B&W from January 2007 to October 2008; President and Chief Operating Officer of BWX Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of ours, from September 2002 to January 2007; and President, General Manager of BWXT Services, Inc., a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc., from September 1997 to November 2002. His earlier positions at subsidiaries of B&W include Vice President and General Manager.


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Robert W. Goldman
Director Since 2005
Age — 68
Audit Committee — Member
Finance Committee — Chairman
Since October 2002, Mr. Goldman has served as an independent financial consultant. Previously, Mr. Goldman worked for Conoco Inc., an international, integrated energy company and predecessor to ConocoPhillips, from 1988 to 2002, most recently as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer from 1998 to 2002. He formerly served as the Vice President, Finance of the World Petroleum Council from 2002 to 2008. He has also served as a director of El Paso Corporation since 2003, Parker Drilling Company since 2005 and Tesoro Corporation since 2004.
Stephen G. Hanks
Director Since 2009
Age — 59
Audit Committee — Member
Finance Committee — Member

Age — 61

Audit Committee — Member

Finance Committee — Member

From November 2007 until his retirement in January 2008, Mr. Hanks was President of the Washington Division of URS Corporation, an engineering, construction and technical services company, and he also served as a member of URS Corporation’s Board of Directors during that time. Previously, from June 2001 to November 2007 he was President and CEO of Washington Group International, Inc. (“Washington Group”), an integrated engineering, construction and management services company which was acquired by URS Corporation in 2007, and also served on its Board of Directors. Mr. Hanks has also served as a director of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. since 2006.2006 and as a director of The Babcock & Wilcox Company since 2010. The Board of Directors is nominating Mr. Hanks in consideration of his:

experience in executive leadership, including his position as the Chief Executive Officer of Washington Group;

background and knowledge in the areas of accounting, auditing and financial reporting, having previously served as a Chief Financial Officer;

experience in the engineering and construction industry; and

experience as a board member of public companies, including McDermott.

Stephen M. Johnson  
Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr.
Director Since 2004
Age — 67
Compensation Committee — Member
Governance Committee — Member
2010
Until his retirement in November 2004, Mr. Kingsley served as

Age — 60

Chairman of the Board, President and Chief OperatingExecutive Officer of Exelon Corporation, an integrated utility company, from May 2003, Senior Executive Vice President from February 2002 and

Mr. Johnson has been President and Chief NuclearExecutive Officer from October 2000. Mr. Kingsley alsoof McDermott and a member of our Board since July 2010, and has served as Chairman of our Board since May 2011. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Exelon’s subsidiary, Exelon Generation,J. Ray McDermott, S.A., one of our subsidiaries, from February 2000January 2010 to November 2004July 2010, and as President and Chief NuclearOperating Officer of UnicomMcDermott from April 2009 to December 2009. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Johnson was Senior Executive Vice President and Member, Office of the Chairman, at Washington Group and at URS Corporation, an integrated electric utility company, from November 1997 to October 2000.which acquired Washington Group in 2007. The Board of Directors is nominating Mr. Kingsley has alsoJohnson in consideration of his:

position as our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer;

experience in executive leadership for public companies in the engineering and construction industry, encompassing global experience, technical knowledge and complex business and financial structuring, as well as experience in the oil & gas, chemical processing, power generation, transportation, mining and government businesses;

operational and financial expertise in the engineering and construction industry, both in the United States and in international markets, including having resided, worked or led complex business transactions in the United States, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions;

experience as a recognized leader in the area of risk management within the engineering and construction industry, having participated in the founding of the Engineering & Construction Risk Institute, a global organization focused on developing best practices in risk management, of which he served as a directorChairman; and

broad knowledge of FPL Group, Inc. since 2007the demands and is the Associate Dean for Special Projects at the Sam Ginn Collegeexpectations of Engineering, Auburn University.our core customers.

D. Bradley McWilliams  
D. Bradley McWilliams
Director Since 2003
Age — 68
Audit Committee — Chairman
Finance Committee — Member

Age — 70

Lead Director

Audit Committee — Member

Finance Committee — Chairman

Mr. McWilliams has served as our Lead Director since May 2011. From April 1995 until his retirement in April 2003, Mr. McWilliams was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cooper Industries Ltd., a worldwide manufacturer of electrical products, tools and hardware. He was Vice President of Cooper Industries from 1982 until April 1995. Mr. McWilliams has served as a director and Lead Director of The Babcock & Wilcox Company since 2010 and previously served as a director of Kronos Incorporated from 1993 to 2005.

The Board of Directors is nominating Mr. McWilliams in consideration of his:

background in public accounting;

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background and knowledge in the areas of accounting, auditing and financial reporting, having served as a Chief Financial Officer of a public company; and


experience as a board member and lead director of public companies, including McDermott.

Thomas C. Schievelbein  
Richard W. Mies
Director Since 2008
Age — 65
Audit Committee — Member
Governance Committee — Member
2004
Admiral Mies is a Retired Admiral, United States Navy. He served in the U.S. Navy for 35 years, including most recently as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Strategic Command for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy strategic nuclear forces from 1998 until his retirement from the Navy in 2002. Following his retirement from the Navy until 2007, he

Age — 58

Compensation Committee — Chairman

Governance Committee — Member

Mr. Schievelbein has served as Senior Viceinterim President of Science Applications International Corporation, a provider of scientific and engineering applications for national security, energy, environment, critical infrastructure and health. Since 2007, he has been Chief Executive Officer and President of The Mies Group, Ltd. (a consulting firm). He has alsoBrinks Company, a secure transportation, cash handling and security-related services company, since December 2011. Previously, Mr. Schievelbein served as a director of Exelon Corporation since 2009 and Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company since 2002.

Thomas C. Schievelbein
Director Since 2004
Age — 56
Compensation Committee — Chairman
Finance Committee — Member
From November 2001 until his retirement in November 2004, Mr. Schievelbein was President of Northrop Grumman Newport News, a subsidiary of the Northrop Grumman Corporation, a global defense company. From October 1995 to Octobercompany, from November 2001 he serveduntil his retirement in November 2004; and as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Newport News Shipbuilding, Inc. from October 1995 to October 2001. Mr. Schievelbein has also served as a director of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. since 2011, The Brinks Company since 2009, including as interim Chairman of the Board from November to December 2011, and New York Life Insurance Company since 2006. The Board of Directors is nominating Mr. Schievelbein in consideration of his:

operational, business technology development and risk mitigation and control experience gained through executive leadership;

experience with the oversight of compensation strategies and plans; and

experience as a board member of public companies, including McDermott.

Mary L. Shafer-Malicki  Director Since 2011

Age — 51

Compensation Committee — Member

Finance Committee — Member

From July 2007 until her retirement in March 2009, Ms. Shafer-Malicki was Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of BP Angola, a subsidiary of BP p.l.c., an oil and natural gas exploration, production, refining and marketing company. Previously, Ms. Shafer-Malicki served as Chief Operating Officer of BP Angola from January 2006 to June 2007; and various other international engineering and managerial positions with BP p.l.c. Ms. Shafer-Malicki has also served as a director of Ausenco Limited since January 2011. The Board of Directors is nominating Ms. Shafer-Malicki in consideration of her:

experience in the upstream energy and supporting infrastructure businesses;

knowledge of and experience with our core customers;

executive experience and business leadership skills, including operations, strategy, commercial, safety and supply chain management; and

significant international experience, having executive or management experience in Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa.

David A. Trice
  Director Since 2009
Age — 62
Audit Committee — Member
Compensation Committee — Member

Age — 64

Audit Committee — Chairman

Compensation Committee — Member

From February 2000 until his retirement in May 2009, Mr. Trice was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board (since September 2004) of Newfield Exploration Company, an oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Hecompany, and served as Chairman of its board from September 2004 to May 2010. Mr. Trice has served as the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Newfield Exploration Company since May 2009, and as a director of New Jersey Resources Corporation since 2004 and Hornbeck Offshore Services,QEP Resources, Inc. since 2002.2011. Mr. Trice also previously served as a director of Grant PrideCo, Inc. from 2003 to 2008.

Our2008 and Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. from 2002 to 2011. The Board recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” each of Directors is nominating Mr. Trice in consideration of his:

executive experience as a Chief Executive Officer of a public company;

experience in the nominees named above.oil and gas exploration and production business;

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background and knowledge in the areas of accounting, auditing and financial reporting; and

experience as a board member of public companies, including as a chairman of a public company.


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Corporate Governance

We maintain a corporate governance section on our Web site which contains copies of our principal governance documents. The corporate governance section may be found atwww.mcdermott.comat “Corporate“About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Corporate Governance” and “About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Board Committees” and “Corporate Governance — Governance Policies.Committees.” The corporate governance section contains the following documents:
By-Laws
Corporate Governance Guidelines
Code of Ethics for CEO and Senior Financial Officers
Board of Directors Conflicts of Interest Policies and Procedures
Audit Committee Charter
Compensation Committee Charter
Finance Committee Charter
Governance Committee Charter

By-Laws

Corporate Governance Guidelines

Code of Ethics for CEO and Senior Financial Officers

Board of Directors Conflicts of Interest Policies and Procedures

Audit Committee Charter

Compensation Committee Charter

Finance Committee Charter

Governance Committee Charter

In addition, our Code of Business Conduct may be found on our Web site atwww.mcdermott.comat “Corporate Governance“About UsCode of Conduct.Leadership & Corporate Governance.

Director Independence

The New York Stock Exchange listing standards require our Board of Directors to be comprised of at least a majority of independent directors. For a director to be considered independent, theour Board must determine that the director does not have any direct or indirect material relationship with us. To assist it in determining director independence, and as permitted by New York Stock Exchange rules then in effect, the Board previously established categorical standards which conform to, or are more exacting than, the independence requirements in the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. These standards are contained in the Corporate Governance Guidelines, which can be found on our Web site atwww.mcdermott.comunder, “Corporate“About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Governance Policies.Corporate Governance.

Based on these independence standards, our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that the following directors are independent and meet our categorical standards:

John F. Bookout, III

Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr.
Roger A. BrownD. Bradley McWilliams
Ronald C. CambreRichard W. Mies
Robert W. Goldman

 Thomas C. Schievelbein

Roger A. Brown

Mary L. Shafer-Malicki

Stephen G. Hanks

 David A. Trice
D. Bradley McWilliams

In addition, our Board also determined, prior to his retirement in May 2011, that Mr. Ronald C. Cambre was independent and met our categorical standards.

In determining the independence of the directors, our Board considered ordinary course transactions between us and other entities with which the directors are associated, none of which were determined to constitute a material relationship with us. Messrs. McWilliams,Brown, Schievelbein and Trice have no relationship with McDermott, except as a director and stockholder. Messrs. Bookout, Brown, Cambre, Goldman,Mr. Hanks Kingsley and Admiral MiesMs. Shafer-Malicki are directors of entities with which we transact business in the ordinary course, andcourse. Mr. Bookout is also an outside consultant for an affiliate of an entity with which we transact business in the ordinary course. Messrs. Hanks and McWilliams are directors of The Babcock & Wilcox Company (“B&W”), which pursuant to the transition services agreements entered into by McDermott and B&W prior to the spin-off of B&W (the “Spin-off”), McDermott has transacted with following the Spin-off. Our Board also considered unsolicited contributions by us to charitable organizations with which the directors were associated. Admiral Mies andAdditionally, no director is related to any executive or significant shareholder of McDermott, nor is any director, with the exception of Mr. Hanks each serve asJohnson, a directorcurrent or former employee of a separate charitable organization to which we made unsolicited contributions between 2007 and 2009. Mr. Bookout’s spouse serves as a director of a charitable organization to which we made an unsolicited contribution in 2007. The charitable contributions described above were in the usual course of our annual giving programs pursuant to which we made over $1.1 million in total 2009 contributions to more than 220 charitable organizations.

McDermott.

Executive Sessions and Communications With the Board

Our independent directors meet in executive session without management on a regular basis. Currently, Ronald C. Cambre,Mr. D. Bradley McWilliams, our non-executive Chairman of the Board,Lead Director, serves as the presiding director for these executive sessions.

Communications with the Board

Stockholders or other interested persons may send written communications to the independent members of our Board, addressed to Board of Directors (independent members),c/o McDermott International, Inc., Corporate Secretary’s Office, 777757 N. Eldridge Pkwy., Houston, Texas 77079. Information regarding this process is posted on our Web site atwww.mcdermott.comunder “Corporate“About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Board Committees.Independent Director Access Information.

Board of Directors and Its Committees

Our Board met 12nine times during 2009.2011. All directors attended 75% or more of the meetings of the Board and of the committees on which they served during 2009.2011. In addition, as reflected in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, we have adopted a policy that each member of our Board must make reasonable


9


efforts to attend our Annual Meeting. All directors then serving on the Board attended our 20092011 Annual Meeting.
OurMeeting, with the exception of Ms. Shafer-Malicki, who was unable to attend due to a pre-existing conflict prior to joining our Board currently separatesin February 2011.

Board Leadership Structure

Commencing on May 6, 2011, Mr. Johnson has served as Chairman of the positions ofBoard in addition to his service as Chief Executive Officer andOfficer. Prior to that date, Mr. Cambre served as Chairman of the Board. In connection with Mr. Fees serves asCambre’s retirement, our Board reevaluated whether the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be separate or occupied by the same individual, and determined that Mr. Cambre servesJohnson should serve as Chairman of the Board in addition to Chief Executive Officer. As the individual with primary responsibility for managing our non-executive Chairman. Our Board believesday-to-day operations, Mr. Johnson is most familiar with our business and the complex challenges faced by McDermott. As a result, we believe that this leadership structurehe is appropriate for McDermottbest positioned at this time because it allows Mr. Fees, who was appointedto identify strategic priorities and lead Board discussions and decision-making processes regarding key business and strategic issues, as well as to oversee the execution of important strategic initiatives. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Johnson is in October 2008,an optimal position to set our strategic directionfacilitate the flow of information between management and manage ourday-to-day operationsthe Board and performance, while Mr. Cambre is able to setensure that McDermott presents its message and strategy to stockholders, employees, customers and other stakeholders with a unified voice.

McDermott has adopted a governance structure that includes:

a designated independent Lead Director;

a Board composed entirely of independent directors, with the Board’s agendaexception of Mr. Johnson;

annual election of directors; and lead

committees composed entirely of independent directors.

The independent Lead Director, Mr. McWilliams, acts as an intermediary between the Board while also monitoring and objectively evaluating Mr. Fees’ performancemanagement and is responsible for presiding at executive sessions of the independent directors and serving as a liaison on Board-wide issues between the independent directors and the Chief Executive Officer.

Officer, as needed.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

As part of its oversight function, the Board monitors various risks that McDermott faces.is actively involved in overseeing risk management through our Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) program. Our Chief Risk Officer administers our Enterprise Risk Program, or ERP,ERM program, and presents information to senior management and the Board on matters relating to the ERP.risk management on at least an annual basis. In connection with the ERP,ERM program, the Board reviewedexercises its oversight responsibility with respect to key external, strategic, operational and financial risks and discusseddiscusses the effectiveness of current efforts to mitigate certain focus risks. Therisks as identified by senior management and the Board through anonymous risk surveys.

Although the Board is ultimately responsible for risk oversight, the Board has delegated risk oversight responsibility to the Audit, Compensation, Finance and Governance Committees for each committee’s areas of oversight, as set forth in their respective charters. Each committee oversees risks, including but not limited to, those set forth below, and periodically reports to the Board on those risks:

the Audit Committee further assistsoversees risks with respect to financial reports and other financial information provided by us to our stockholders;

the Compensation Committee oversees risks with respect to our compensation policies and practices with respect to executives and directors as well as employees generally, employee benefit plans and the administration of equity plans;

the Finance Committee oversees risks with respect to our policies and processes relating to capital structure, capital expenditures, financing, mergers and acquisitions and capital expenditures; and

the Governance Committee oversees risks with respect to the review and recommendation of Board member candidates, the annual evaluation of the performance of the Board in fulfillingand its members, review of compensation for our nonemployee directors and director and officer insurance coverage.

At their respective August 2011 meetings, each committee undertook an in-depth assessment of those areas of risk oversight responsibility bythat were delegated to it, and provided a report to the Board. Also, at its August 2011 meeting, periodically with management to review risk exposuresthe Board received an ERM report from the Chief Risk Officer, and discuss McDermott’s policies and guidelines concerning risk performed an

assessment and risk management.

review of the risks described in that report that were not delegated to the committees.

Board Committees

Our Board currently has, and appoints the members of, standing Audit, Compensation, Finance and Governance Committees. Each of those committees is comprised entirely of independent nonmanagementnonemployee directors and has a written charter approved by the Board. The current charter for each standing Board committee is posted on our Web site atwww.mcdermott.comunder “Corporate“About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Board Committees.” Additionally,Attendance at committee meetings is open to every director, regardless of whether he/she is a member of the committee. The following table shows the current membership, the principal functions and the number of meetings held in connection with the proposed spin-off of B&W, our Board established a special Restructuring Committee in January 2010.2011 for each committee:

 
The current members of the committees are identified below.
Audit Committee:

Committees and

Current Members

  
Mr. McWilliams (Chairman)Principal Functions and Additional Information  Meetings
Held in 2011

AUDIT

Mr. GoldmanTrice (Chair)

Mr. Hanks

Mr. McWilliams

  
Mr.

•    Serves as an independent and objective party to monitor our financial reporting process and internal control system.

•    Oversees the integrity of our financial statements.

•    Monitors our compliance with legal and regulatory financial requirements, including our compliance with the applicable reporting requirements established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

•    Evaluates the independence, qualifications, performance and compensation of our independent registered public accounting firm.

•    Oversees the performance of our internal audit function.

•    Oversees certain aspects of our Compliance and Ethics Program relating to financial matters, books and records and accounting and as required by applicable statutes, rules and regulations.

•    Provides an open avenue of communication among our independent registered public accounting firm, financial and senior management, the internal audit department and the Board.

Our Board has determined that Messrs. Trice, Hanks and McWilliams each qualify as an “audit committee financial expert” within the definition established by the SEC. For more information on the backgrounds of those directors, see their biographical information under “Election of Directors” above.

  

7 Meetings

in 2011

Adm. Mies  
Mr. Trice  

During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Audit Committee met four times. The Audit Committee’s role is financial oversight. Our management is responsible for preparing financial statements, and our independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing those financial statements. The Audit Committee is not providing any expert or special assurance as to our financial statements or any professional certification as to the independent registered public accounting firm’s work.
The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm. The committee, among other things, also reviews and discusses McDermott’s audited financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm.
Our Board has determined that Messrs. McWilliams, Goldman, Hanks and Trice and Admiral Mies each qualify as an “audit committee financial expert” within the definition established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). For more information on the backgrounds of these directors, see their biographical information under “Election of Directors” above.
Compensation Committee:

COMPENSATION

Mr. Schievelbein (Chair)

Mr. Brown

Ms. Shafer-Malicki

Mr. Trice

  
Mr. Schievelbein (Chairman)

•    Evaluates our officer and director compensation plans, policies and programs and our employee benefit plans.

•    Approves and/or recommends to the Board for approval such officer and director compensation plans, policies and programs.

•    Oversees our disclosures relating to compensation plans, policies and programs, including overseeing the preparation of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis included in this proxy statement.

•    Acts in its sole discretion to retain or terminate any compensation consultant to be used to assist the Compensation Committee in the discharge of its responsibilities. For additional information on the role of compensation consultants, please see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Role of Compensation Committee, Compensation Consultant and Management” below.

•    For 2011, the Compensation Committee authorized our Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with his direct reports, to establish individual goals under our Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (“EICP”), for our other executive officers who participate in the EICP.

•    Under both our 2001 Directors and Officers Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2001 D&O Plan”) and our 2009 McDermott International, Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2009 LTIP”), our Compensation Committee may delegate some of its duties to our Chief Executive Officer or other senior officers.

•    Under our McDermott International, Inc. Director and Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, which we refer to as the “Deferred Compensation Plan,” the Compensation Committee may delegate any of its powers or responsibilities to one or more members of the Committee or any other person or entity.

  

7 Meetings

in 2011

Mr. Brown  
Mr. Kingsley  

FINANCE

Mr. TriceMcWilliams (Chair)

Mr. Bookout

Mr. Hanks

Ms. Shafer-Malicki

  

•    Reviews and oversees financial policies and strategies, mergers, acquisitions, financings, liabilities, investment performance of our pension plans and our capital structure.

•    Recommends any change in dividend policies or stock repurchase programs.

•    Oversees capital expenditures and capital allocation strategies.

•    Oversees our tax structure and monitors any developments relating to changes in tax legislation.

•    Generally has responsibility over such matters up to $50 million, and for activities involving amounts over $50 million, reviews the activity and makes a recommendation to the Board.

5 Meetings

in 2011

During the year ended December 31, 2009,

GOVERNANCE

Mr. Brown (Chair)

Mr. Bookout

Mr. Schievelbein

•    Identifies individuals qualified to become Board members and recommends to the Board each year the director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders.

•    Develops, reviews and recommends to the Board any changes the Governance Committee deems appropriate to our Corporate Governance Guidelines.

•    Leads the Board in its annual review of the Board’s performance and, in conjunction with the Compensation Committee, oversees the annual evaluation of our Chief Executive Officer.

•    Reviews our executive management succession plan on at least an annual basis.

•    Recommends to the Board the directors to serve on each Board committee.

•    Recommends to the Board the compensation of nonemployee directors.

•    Serves as the primary committee overseeing our Compliance and Ethics Program, excluding certain oversight responsibilities assigned to the Audit Committee.

•    Oversees our director and officer insurance program.

6 Meetings

in 2011

Compensation Committee met eight times. Policies and Practices and Risk

The Compensation Committee has overall responsibility for our officerconcluded that risks arising from McDermott’s compensation plans, policies and programs and has the authoritypractices for McDermott employees are not reasonably likely to engage and terminate any compensation consultant or other advisors to assist the committee in the discharge of its responsibilities. Hewitt Associates LLC, or Hewitt, has served as the consultant tohave a materially adverse effect on McDermott. In reaching this conclusion, the Compensation Committee on executiveconsidered the policies and director compensation since October 2007, and servedpractices in that capacity during 2009. On February 1, 2010, Hewitt spun-off its executive compensation business into a separate company known as Meridian Compensation Partners LLC. Since the spin-off, Meridian, rather than Hewitt, has been advising the compensation committee. The Compensation Committee considers recommendations from our Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of our executive officers. Please see the “Compensation


10

following paragraph.


Discussion and Analysis” and “Compensation of Executive Officers” sections of this proxy statement for information about our 2009 executive officer compensation, including a discussion of the role of the compensation consultant.
The Compensation Committee regularly reviews the design of our significant compensation programs with the assistance of its compensation consultant. We believe our compensation programs motivate and retain our executive officer employees while allowing for appropriate levels of business risk through some of the following features:

 

Reasonable Compensation Programs— Using the elements of total direct compensation, the Compensation Committee seeks to provide compensation opportunities for employees targeted at or near the median compensation of comparable positions in our market. As a result, we believe the total direct compensation of executive officer employees provides a reasonable and appropriate mix of cash and equity, annual and longer-term incentives, and performance metrics.

 

Emphasize Long-Term Incentive Compensation Over Annual IncentiveCompensation— Long-term incentive compensation typically makes up a larger percentage of an executive officer employee’s total direct compensation than annual incentive compensation. Incentive compensation helps drive performance and align the interests of those employees with those of shareholders. However,stockholders. In addition, tying a significant portion of an employee’s total direct compensation to long-term incentives (which typically vest over a period of three or more years) helps to promote longer-term perspectives regarding companyour company’s performance.

 

Clawback Policy — The Compensation Committee has adopted a policy under which McDermott shall seek to recover any incentive-based award granted to any executive officer as required by the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any other “clawback” provision required by law or the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation Subject to Forfeiture— The Compensation Committee may terminate any outstanding

stock award if the recipient, while employed by McDermott or performing services on behalf of McDermott under any consulting agreement: (1) is convicted of a misdemeanor involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude or a felony,felony; or (2) engages in conduct that adversely affects or, in the sole judgment of the Compensation Committee, may reasonably be expected to adversely affect, the business reputation or economic interests of the Company.

 

Annual Incentive Compensation Subject to Threshold Performance and Linear and Capped Incentive Compensation Payouts— The Compensation Committee establishes financial performance goals which are used to plot a linear payout formula for annual and long-term incentive compensation, eliminating payout “cliffs” between the established performance goals. Threshold levels of performance required to earn short-term incentives are tied to, among other components, achievement of financial results that correlate to the Company’s weighted average cost of capital. The maximum payout for both the annual and long-term incentive compensation is capped at 200% percent of target.

 

Use of Multiple and Appropriate Performance Metrics— Utilizing diversified performance measures helps prevent compensation opportunities from being overly weighted toward the performance result of a single measure. In general, our incentive programs are historically based on a mix of financial and individual goals. Additionally,In recent years our primary financial performance metric has been a mix of consolidated and segment operating income. Compared to other financial metrics, operating income is a measure of the profitability of our business which helps drive accountability at our operating segments thereby reducing risks related to incentive compensation by putting the focus on quality of revenues not quantity. Additionally, commencing in 2011, the Compensation Committee utilized relative total shareholder return and return on invested capital as additional performance measures.

 

Stock Ownership Guidelines— Our executive officers and directors are subject to share ownership guidelines, which also

helps promote longer-term perspectives and align the interests of our executive officers and directors with those of our shareholders.stockholders. In 2010, we increased the stock ownership requirements for both our executive officers and nonemployee directors to further emphasize this alignment of interests.

The Compensation Committee administers our Executive Incentive Compensation Plan, or EICP, under which it awards annual cash-based incentive compensation to our officers based on the attainment of annual performance goals. The Compensation Committee approves, among other things, target EICP compensation for each officer, expressed as a percentage of the officer’s base salary for that year, and financial goals applicable to EICP compensation. The Compensation Committee authorized our Chief Executive Officer to establish individual goals for our other executive officers applicable to EICP compensation and, in coordination with his direct reports, to select such other officers and key employees to participate in the EICP and establish appropriate individual performance goals for them. Under both our 2001 Directors and Officers Long-Term Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the 2001 D&O Plan, and our 2009 McDermott International, Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the 2009 LTIP, our Compensation Committee may delegate some of its duties to our Chief Executive Officer or other senior


11


officers. Our restricted stock awards granted in 2008 under the 2001 D&O Plan provide for accelerated vesting at the Compensation Committee’s discretion if the participant retires and is at least 60 years of age with at least 10 years of service. To facilitate a timely determination in these instances, the Compensation Committee has authorized our General Counsel and Vice President of Human Resources, acting jointly, to consider and determine whether to approve any request for such accelerated vesting.
Finance Committee:
Mr. Goldman (Chairman)
Mr. Bookout
Mr. Hanks
Mr. McWilliams
Mr. Schievelbein
During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Finance Committee met seven times. The Finance Committee has the overall responsibility of reviewing and overseeing financial policies (including any dividend recommendations and stock repurchase programs) and financial strategies, mergers, acquisitions, financings, liabilities, investment performance of our pension plans and the capital structures of McDermott and its subsidiaries. Generally, the Finance Committee has responsibility over many activities up to $50 million, and for such activities involving amounts over $50 million, the Finance Committee will review the activity and make a recommendation to the Board.
Governance Committee:
Mr. Brown (Chairman)
Mr. Bookout
Mr. Kingsley
Adm. Mies
During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Governance Committee met seven times. This committee, in addition to other matters, recommends to our Board of Directors: (1) the qualifications, term limits and nomination and election procedures relating to our directors; (2) nominees for election to our Board of Directors; and (3) compensation of nonmanagement directors. This committee will consider individuals recommended by stockholders for nomination as directors in accordance with the procedures described under “Stockholders’ Proposals.” Our Governance Committee has primary oversight responsibility for our compliance and ethics program, excluding certain oversight responsibilities assigned to the Audit Committee, and our director and officer insurance program. In conjunction with the Compensation Committee, the Governance Committee oversees the annual evaluation of our Chief Executive Officer.
In May 2009, at the request of the Chairman of the Governance Committee, Hewitt performed a market analysis of nonemployee director compensation using our Custom Peer Group (as defined in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”) and made recommendations regarding nonemployee director compensation to the Governance Committee. Based on those recommendations, the Governance Committee recommended no changes in the form and amounts of nonmanagement director compensation for 2009. Our management is not substantively involved in Hewitt’s market analysis or recommendation regarding nonmanagement director compensation.
Restructuring Committee:
Mr. BookoutMr. Hanks
Mr. BrownMr. McWilliams
Mr. CambreMr. Schievelbein
Mr. Goldman
In connection with the proposed spin-off of B&W, in January 2010 our Board established a special Restructuring Committee. The Restructuring Committee has overall responsibility for reviewing and evaluating the details of the proposed separation, including significant financial, governance and other policies and matters.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

All members of our Compensation Committee are independent in accordance with the New York Stock ExchangeNYSE listing standards. No member of the Compensation Committee (1) was, during the year ended December 31, 2009,2011, or had previously been, an officer or employee of McDermott or any of its subsidiaries, or (2) had any material interest in a transaction of McDermott or a business relationship with, or any indebtedness to, McDermott. No interlocking relationship existed during the year ended December 31, 20092011 between any member of the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee and an executive officer of McDermott.


12


Director Nomination Process

Our Governance Committee has determined that a candidate for election to our Board of Directors must meet specific minimum qualifications. Each candidate should:

have a record of integrity and ethics in his/her personal and professional life;

have a record of professional accomplishment in his/her field;

be prepared to represent the best interests of our stockholders;

not have a material personal, financial or professional interest in any competitor of ours; and

be prepared to participate fully in Board activities, including active membership on at least one Board committee and attendance at, and active participation in, meetings of the Board and the committee(s) of which he or she is a member, and not have other personal or professional commitments that would, in the Governance Committee’s sole judgment, interfere with or limit his or her ability to do so.

 
•    have a record of integrity and ethics inhis/her personal and professional life;
•    have a record of professional accomplishment inhis/her field;
•    be prepared to represent the best interests of our stockholders;
•    not have a material personal, financial or professional interest in any competitor of ours; and
•    be prepared to participate fully in Board activities, including active membership on at least one Board committee and attendance at, and active participation in, meetings of the Board and the committee(s) of which he or she is a member, and not have other personal or professional commitments that would, in the Governance Committee’s sole judgment, interfere with or limit his or her ability to do so.

In addition, the Governance Committee also considers it desirable that candidates possess the following qualities or skills:

each candidate should contribute positively to the collaborative culture among Board members; and

each candidate should possess professional and personal experiences and expertise relevant to our businesses and industries.

•    each candidate should contribute positively to the collaborative culture among Board members; and
•    each candidate should possess professional and personal experiences and expertise relevant to our businesses and industries.

While McDermott does not have a specific policy addressing board diversity, the Board recognizes the benefits of a diversified board and believes that any search for potential director candidates should consider diversity as to gender, ethnic background and personal and professional experiences. In 2009 our Governance Committee engaged Cornerstone International Group (“Cornerstone”), an independent director search firm, in order to assist in selecting director candidates. Cornerstone initially identified over 1,000 men and women as candidates, representing a cross-section of ethnicities, industries, educational backgrounds, experience and professional affiliations. From this pool, nine candidates were presented to the Governance Committee for review. Following lengthy discussions in which the Governance Committee considered each candidate’s experience, education, prior board memberships, key accomplishments, areas of expertise, professional affiliations and industry experience, among other factors, the Governance Committee recommended Mr. Hanks and Mr. Trice to the Board for appointment as directors.

The Governance Committee solicits ideas for possible candidates from a number of sources — including members of the Board, our senior level executives, individuals personally known to theindependent director candidate search firms, members of the Board and our senior level executives.

In 2010, our Governance Committee engaged Russell Reynolds Associates (“Russell Reynolds”), an independent director candidate search firms.firm, in order to assist in selecting director candidates. After review and consideration of approximately 25 prospective candidates identified by Russell Reynolds,

Ms. Shafer-Malicki was appointed to the Board on February 17, 2011 in consideration of her extensive experience in our industry and other qualifications.

Any stockholder may nominate one or more persons for election as one of our directors at an annual meeting of stockholders if the stockholder complies with the notice, information and consent provisions contained in our By-Laws. See “Stockholders’ Proposals” in this proxy statement and our By-Laws, which may be found on our Web site atwww.mcdermott.comat “Corporate“About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Governance Policies.Corporate Governance.

The Governance Committee will consider candidates identified through the processes described above and will evaluate each of them, including incumbents, based on the same criteria. The Governance Committee also takes into account the contributions of incumbent directors as Board members and the benefits to us arising from their experience on the Board. Although the Governance Committee will consider candidates identified by stockholders, the Governance Committee has sole discretion whether to recommend those candidates to the Board. None of the director nominees for the 20102012 Annual Meeting are standing for election for the first time, withtime.

COMPENSATIONOF DIRECTORS

In May 2011, at the exceptionrequest of Messrs. Hanksthe Governance Committee, Pay Governance LLC performed a market analysis of nonemployee director compensation and Trice, who were each appointedmade recommendations regarding nonemployee director compensation to the Governance Committee. Based upon those recommendations, the Governance Committee recommended revisions to our 2011 nonemployee director compensation program, which were approved by the Board.

Beginning May 7, 2011, under our 2011 nonemployee director compensation program, cash compensation for nonemployee directors consisted of retainers (paid monthly and prorated for partial terms) and meeting fees as follows:

annual Board in May 2009.member retainer: $75,000;

additional retainer for the chair of each of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee: $20,000;

additional retainer for the chair of each of the Finance Committee and Governance Committee: $10,000;

additional retainer for the Lead Director: $20,000; and

In nominating individuals to become members

meeting fees of $2,500 for each meeting of the Board or a Committee (of which the nonemployee director is a member) attended, in person or by telephone, in excess of Directors, the Governanceeighth Board or Committee considersmeeting per calendar year. Previously, meeting fees of $2,500 were paid for each Board meeting personally attended by a nonemployee director, $1,750 for each meeting of a Committee personally attended by a nonemployee director who was a member of the experience, qualifications,Committee, and skills$1,000 for each Board meeting and meeting of each potential member. Each nominee brings a strong and unique background and setCommittee attended telephonically by a nonemployee director who was a member of skills to the Board giving the Board as a whole competence and experience in a wide variety of areas. In concluding each individual was an appropriate nominee, the Governance Committee and the Board of Directors considered the following:or Committee.

No changes were made under our 2011 nonemployee director compensation program with respect to equity awards.

 
•    Mr. Bookout has global experience working with the petroleum refining, marketing, exploration and development and the natural gas and electric utility industries. He served


13


as managing partner of a global management consulting firm, where he also worked in London as head of its European Energy Practice. He also has extensive experience in private equity and finance and currently serves on the board of a non-public company.
•    Mr. Brown’s extensive experience in the oil and gas exploration and production industry makes him a knowledgeable resource for our offshore oil and gas construction operations. Mr. Brown also has a strong knowledge of corporate governance issues, serving on the Nominating & Governance Committee of Ultra Petroleum Corporation and as Chairman of McDermott’s Governance Committee.
•    Mr. Cambre’s service as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Newmont Mining Corporation make him well qualified to serve as Chairman of the Board of McDermott. He has extensive international business experience and knowledge of global energy issues. He attended the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development, and held numerous executive management positions during his careers at Freeport-McMoRan and Newmont. Mr. Cambre has served on the boards of numerous public companies, including Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc. and W.R. Grace & Co.
•    Mr. Fees has been an employee of McDermott for 31 years, during which time he has held numerous management positions within the McDermott organization, leading to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer. His lengthy tenure with the company and his wealth of experience and in depth knowledge of the operations and culture of McDermott make him highly qualified to serve our stockholders. Mr. Fees also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
•    Mr. Goldman has an extensive background in corporate finance. While serving as Chief Financial Officer of Conoco, Inc., Mr. Goldman played vital roles in the initial public offering and split-off of Conoco, Inc. from DuPont and the subsequent merger of Conoco and Phillips Petroleum. Mr. Goldman chairs the finance committee of El Paso Corporation and the governance committee of Tesoro Corporation while serving on the audit committees of both companies and the compensation committee of Parker Drilling Company. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Kenyon College and chairs its Budget, Finance and Audit Committee. This experience benefits him as Chairman of McDermott’s Finance Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee.
•    Mr. Hanks served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of Washington Group International for eight years. That company was acquired by URS Corporation, a publicly traded engineering, construction and technical services firm and one of our peer group companies. He has extensive financial experience, having served as Chief Financial Officer of Morrison Knudsen Corporation, and he currently serves on the audit committee of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.
•    Mr. Kingsley brings vast knowledge of the nuclear power generation business to the Board of McDermott. He serves on the board of FPL, Inc., a provider of electricity related services, and previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Exelon Corporation, an integrated utility company and a customer and supplier to one of our principal operating subsidiaries. He previously served as President of the World Association of Nuclear Operators. Throughout his career, Mr. Kingsley has had direct operating and oversight responsibility for major U.S. nuclear power plants. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and has received numerous awards given in the United States for nuclear excellence and achievement. His experience in the field of nuclear power operations, maintenance and engineering is valuable to us as a strategic resource for our B&W operations. He currently serves on the nuclear and audit committees of FPL, Inc.
•    Mr. McWilliams has an extensive background in public accounting, and is a Certified Public Accountant and licensed attorney. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Cooper Industries for nine years and in other financial and legal functions for over


14


22 years. In addition, he served for 12 years as chairman of the audit committee of another public company. Mr. McWilliams has served as Chairman of our Audit Committee since 2004.
•    Admiral Mies’ distinguished career as a nuclear submariner in the U.S. Navy and as a former Senior Vice President of Science Applications International Corporation has provided him with extensive experience in nuclear operations, executive leadership and U.S. Government procurement activities. He served as the Senior Operations Commander of the U.S. Submarine Force and as the Commander in Chief of U.S. Strategic Command. He brings to the Board an extensive understanding of the U.S. Government, the single largest customer for McDermott. He serves on the boards of Exelon Corporation and Mutual of Omaha and has extensive audit and governance committee experience.
•    Mr. Schievelbein’s extensive experience with nuclear operations, ship building, program management, technology and governmental operations which he obtained while serving as President of Northrop Grumman Newport News provides a highly valuable resource for our business operations. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Additionally, Mr. Schievelbein was awarded the Naval Submarine League’s Distinguished Civilian Award in 2008 for his contributions to the United States Navy submarine programs. He currently serves as the Lead Director of New York Life Insurance Company, a Fortune 100 company. He is the Chairman of our Compensation Committee as well as a member of the Compensation Committees of New York Life Insurance Company and The Brinks Company. These positions have provided extensive experience in the development and oversight of executive compensation programs.
•    Mr. Trice’s experience as both Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Newfield Exploration Company provide him with extensive knowledge of the oil and natural gas exploration and production business and strong leadership skills. He has previous experience as Chief Financial Officer of Newfield Exploration and with both domestic and international operations. He currently serves on the boards of Newfield Exploration Company, New Jersey Resources Corporation and Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc.


15


Compensation of Directors
The table below summarizes the compensation earned by or paid to our nonemployee directors during the year ended December 31, 2009. Pursuant to2011. Mr. Ronald C. Cambre, our By-Laws, which require a director to retire atformer Chairman of the first Annual Meeting of Stockholders after attaining the age of 72, Robert L. HowardBoard, retired from theour Board of Directors at the 2009 Annual Meeting. Messrs. Hanks and Trice were appointed to the Board ineffective May 2009.
6, 2011.

Director Compensation TableDIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE
                       
          Change
    
          in Pension
    
          Value and
    
          Nonqualified
    
        Non-Equity
 Deferred
    
  Fees Earned or
 Stock
 Option
 Incentive Plan
 Compensation
 All Other
  
Name Paid in Cash(1) Awards(2) Awards(2) Compensation Earnings Compensation(3) Total
John F. Bookout III $82,500  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A $782  $193,271 
Roger A. Brown $100,750  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A    $210,739 
Ronald C. Cambre $217,500  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A $1,757  $329,246 
Robert W. Goldman $94,500  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A $2,633  $207,122 
Stephen G. Hanks $68,000  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A $4,914  $182,903 
Robert L. Howard $15,750     N/A N/A N/A    $15,750 
Oliver D. Kingsley Jr.  $90,750  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A    $200,739 
D. Bradley McWilliams $104,500  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A $2,687  $217,176 
Richard W. Mies $84,250  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A    $194,239 
Thomas C. Schievelbein $113,795  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A    $223,784 
David A. Trice $69,750  $109,989  N/A N/A N/A    $179,739 

Name  

Fees Earned or

Paid in Cash

   

Stock

Awards(1)

   Total 

John F. Bookout, III

  $74,500    $119,995    $194,495  

Roger A. Brown

  $85,417    $119,995    $205,412  

Ronald C. Cambre

  $65,750         $65,750  

Stephen G. Hanks

  $75,500    $119,995    $195,495  

D. Bradley McWilliams

  $98,000    $119,995    $217,995  

Thomas C. Schievelbein

  $93,333    $119,995    $213,328  

Mary L. Shafer-Malicki

  $69,250    $143,789    $213,039  

David A. Trice

  $95,583    $119,995    $215,578  

(1)See “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash” belowUnder our 2011 director compensation program, equity compensation for nonemployee directors consisted of a discussiondiscretionary annual stock grant. On May 13, 2011, each of the amounts reportednonemployee directors then serving as a director received a grant of 5,862 shares of restricted stock or restricted stock units valued at $119,995, which were settled in this column.2011 in unrestricted shares of McDermott common stock. In addition to the annual stock grant, Ms. Shafer-Malicki received a grant of 928 shares of restricted stock on March 4, 2011 valued at $23,794, following her appointment to our Board, which reflected Ms. Shafer-Malicki’s partial-year service and which were settled in unrestricted shares in 2011.

    
(2)See “Stock and Option Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts reported in these columns.
(3)The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the restricted stock or restricted stock units computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (“FASB ASC”) Topic 718, using the “All Other Compensation” column are attributable to a taxgross-up associated with income imputed toclosing market price of McDermott common stock on the director as a resultdate of his spouse accompanying himgrant ($20.47 on travel in connection with Board business.May 13, 2011 and $25.64 on March 4, 2011). Under the terms of each award, the restricted stock and restricted stock units vested immediately on the grant date.
The compensation for nonemployee directors for 2009 was comprised of cash and equity compensation earned by directors in connection with their service as directors. The cash compensation consisted of retainers and meeting fees described in more detail below. The equity compensation consisted of restricted stock awards issued under our 2009 LTIP. Employee directors do not receive any compensation for their service as directors.
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash.  Under our current director compensation program, cash compensation for nonemployee directors consists of the following:

    •    an annual retainerAs of $45,000 (prorated for partial terms);
•    a fee of $2,500 for each Board meeting personally attended, $1,750 for each meeting of a committee of which they are a member personally attendedDecember 31, 2011, the nonemployee directors had aggregate outstanding stock option awards as follows: Mr. Bookout — 6,105 stock options; Mr. Brown — 38,085 stock options; Mr. McWilliams — 37,876 stock options; and $1,000 for each Board meeting and meeting of a committee of which they are a member attended by telephone.
As of January 1, 2010, any director who attends a meeting of the Restructuring Committee receives a fee of $1,750 for each meeting personally attended and $1,000 for each meeting attended by telephone, and the Non-Executive Chairman receives a fee of $1,750 for any committee meeting personally attended and $1,000 for any committee meeting attended by telephone.
The chairs of Board committees and the Non-Executive Chairman receive additional annual retainers as follows (pro-rated for partial terms):
•    the chair of the Audit Committee: $20,000;
•    the chair of each of the Compensation Committee and the Restructuring Committee: $15,000;Mr. Schievelbein — 72,538 stock options.


16


NAMED EXECUTIVES PROFILES

•    the chair of each of the Finance Committee and the Governance Committee: $10,000; and
•    the Non-Executive Chairman: $100,000.
Beginning in May 2009, all director annual retainers are paid in quarterly installments.
Stock and Option Awards.  In addition to the fees provided to our directors described above, we granted equity awards to our directors under the 2009 LTIP.
Under the 2009 LTIP, nonemployee directors may be granted stock option, restricted stock, performance unit, restricted stock unit and performance share awards, in such amounts and on such terms, as the Compensation Committee or the Board may determine from time to time. In 2009, each of our nonemployee directors received 6,060 shares of restricted stock. Under the terms of each award, the restricted stock vested immediately on the grant date.
The amounts reported in the “Stock Awards” column represent the grant date fair value computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (“FASB ASC”) Topic 718. Under FASB ASC Topic 718, the fair value of restricted stock is determined on the date of grant and is not remeasured. Grant date fair values are determined using the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant for restricted stock.
The following table reflectsprofiles provide summary information regarding the numberexperience and 2011 compensation of shares and grant date fair value, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, with respect to each restricted stock award granted to nonemployee directors in 2009 and the restricted stock and stock option awards each nonemployee director had outstanding as of December 31, 2008.
Equity Awards Granted to Directors in 2009 and
Outstanding at December 31, 2009
                       
   Equity Awards
  Equity Awards Outstanding at
   Granted in 2009  December 31, 2009
     Shares of
       
     Restricted
 Grant Date
     
Name  Grant Date Stock Fair Value  Stock Awards(1) Option Awards
John F. Bookout, III   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    1,350   3,150 
Roger A. Brown   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   19,650 
Ronald C. Cambre   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    1,350   0 
Robert W. Goldman   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    1,350   4,950 
Stephen G. Hanks   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   0 
Robert L. Howard             0   37,200 
Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr.    May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   19,950 
D. Bradley McWilliams   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   37,876 
Richard W. Mies   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   0 
Thomas C. Schievelbein   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   37,426 
David A. Trice   May 14, 2009   6,060  $109,989    0   0 
(1)All Director stock awards outstanding at December 31, 2009 consisted of shares of restricted stock granted in prior years and as to which the restrictions had not yet lapsed.


17


Named Executives Profiles
The following are named executive officer profiles that summarize the compensation earned or paid in 2009 to our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer and our three other most highly compensated executive officers, who were employed by McDermott as of December 31, 2011, whom we refer to as our “Continuing Named Executives.” The Continuing Named Executives and Mr. John T. Nesser, our former Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, who would have been one of our three other most highly compensated executive officers had he been employed by McDermott as of December 31, 2011, are collectively referred to as our “Named Executives.” Information on Mr. Nesser is provided in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) and the

compensation-related tables included in this proxy statement.

The individual executiveContinuing Named Executive profiles provide biographical information, including age as of May 7,10, 2012, and summarize the compensation disclosures that are provided in the Compensation Discussion and AnalysisCD&A and executive compensation tables in this proxy statement. These profiles are supplemental, and are being provided in addition to, and not in substitution for, the detailed compensation tables required by the Securities Exchange CommissionSEC that follow the Compensation Discussion and Analysis. We believe these profiles provide stockholders with a concise and easy to understand summary of 2009 compensation. The compensation information presented in the following executive profiles is derived fromCD&A. Please consult the more detailed compensation tables that begin on page 42 of this proxy statement. Please consult those tables and the accompanying footnotes following the CD&A for an explanation of how the compensation information is calculated.

 


18


STEPHEN M. JOHNSON

CHAIRMANOFTHE BOARD, PRESIDENTAND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

John A. Fees
Chief Executive Officer & Director, Mcdermott International, Inc.
Age: 52
Tenure with McDermott: 31 years
Mr. Fees has been Chief Executive Officer of McDermott since October 2008. He joined our company in 1979 and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of B&W from January 2007 to October 2008; President and Chief Operating Officer of BWX Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of ours, from September 2002 to January 2007; and President, General Manager of BWXT Services, Inc., a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc., from September 1997 to November 2002. His earlier positions at subsidiaries of B&W include Vice President and General Manager.
2009 Compensation
     
     
Annual Base Salary
    
Base Salary $900,000 
     
Annual Incentive Compensation
    
Executive Incentive Compensation Plan $1,665,000 
     
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
(Grant Date Fair Value)
    
Restricted Stock Units $2,244,382 
Performance Shares $1,298,894 
Stock Options $1,995,846 
     
Pension Plan
    
Annual Increase in Accumulated Pension Benefit $399,782 
     
Other Compensation
    
SERP Contribution $64,774 
Thrift Match $7,350 
Service-Based Thrift Contribution  N/A 
TaxGross-Ups
 $11,501 
Perquisites and Personal Benefits $27,782 
2009 Total Compensation
(PIE CHART)
Equity Awarded in 2009

Age: 60

Tenure with McDermott: 3 years

Mr. Johnson has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since July 2010. Previously, he served as: President and Chief Executive Officer of J. Ray McDermott, S.A., one of our subsidiaries, from January 2010 to July 2010 and our President and Chief Operating Officer from April 2009 to December 2009. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Johnson was Senior Executive Vice President and Member, Office of the Chairman, at Washington Group International, Inc. (“Washington Group”) and at URS Corporation, which acquired Washington Group in 2007.

2011 COMPENSATION

Annual Base Salary

Base Salary Earned

$   942,500

Annual Incentive Compensation

Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

$              0

Long-Term Incentive Compensation(1)

Restricted Stock Units

$   999,960

Stock Options

$   944,089

Performance Shares

$2,382,132

Pension Plan(2)

Annual Change in Present Value of Accumulated Pension Benefit

N/A

Other Compensation

Deferred Compensation Plan Contribution

$     97,932

Thrift Match

$       6,817

Service-Based Thrift Contribution

$       7,350

Tax Gross-Ups

$              0

Perquisites

$     20,000

Other

$              0

2011 TOTAL COMPENSATION

LOGO  

     
3/5/09  Stock Options  295,716 shares

EQUITY AWARDEDIN 2011

3/5/09
March 4, 2011  Restricted Stock Units 208,39239,000 units
3/5/09March 4, 2011Stock Options98,133 shares
March 4, 2011  Performance Shares 120,60356,529 shares

(1)   Each equity grant is disclosed at the grant date fair value of the award.

(2)   Mr. Johnson does not participate in our qualified defined benefit plan due to commencing his employment with the Company after the plan was closed to new participants in 2006.


19


PERRY L. ELDERS

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTAND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Michael S. Taff
Chief Financial Officer, Mcdermott International, Inc.
Age: 48
Tenure with McDermott: 5 years
Mr. Taff has been our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since April 2007. He served as our Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer from June 2005 to April 2007. Previously, Mr. Taff served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HMT Inc., an engineering and construction company, from June 2004 to June 2005 and as Vice President and Corporate Controller of Philip Services Corporation, a provider of industrial, environmental, transportation and container services, from September 1994 to May 2004.
2009 Compensation
     
Annual Base Salary
    
Base Salary $505,000 
     
Annual Incentive Compensation
    
Executive Incentive Compensation Plan $707,000 
     
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
(Grant Date Fair Value)
    
Restricted Stock Units $621,095 
Performance Shares $359,449 
Stock Options $552,314 
     
Pension Plan
    
Annual Increase in Accumulated Pension Benefit  N/A 
     
Other Compensation
    
SERP Contribution $41,378 
Thrift Match $7,358 
Service-Based Thrift Contribution $7,358 
TaxGross-Ups
 $3,221 
Perquisites and Personal Benefits $ 
2009 Total Compensation
(PIE CHART)
Equity Awarded in 2009

Age: 50

Tenure with McDermott: 2 years

Mr. Elders has served as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since July 2010, and served in that capacity at our subsidiary J. Ray McDermott, S.A. from April 2010 to July 2010. Previously, he served as: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from February 2006 to April 2009, and Senior Financial Advisor from November 2005 to February 2006, of Bristow Group, Inc., a worldwide provider of helicopter services; Director, Financial Consulting of Sirius Solutions, an independent business consulting firm, from July 2005 to February 2006; and Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Vetco International, Ltd., a provider of upstream oil and gas production facilities, process systems, technology and products, from August 2004 to May 2005. Mr. Elders spent 20 years (1983-2003) in public accounting firms where he became an audit partner specializing in multi-national energy service companies. Mr. Elders is a Certified Public Accountant.

2011 COMPENSATION

Annual Base Salary

Base Salary Earned

$481,250

Annual Incentive Compensation

Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

$           0

Long-Term Incentive Compensation(1)

Restricted Stock Units

$249,990

Stock Options

$236,000

Performance Shares

$595,438

Pension Plan(2)

Annual Change in Present Value of Accumulated Pension Benefit

N/A

Other Compensation

Deferred Compensation Plan Contribution

$  39,950

Thrift Match

$    7,350

Service-Based Thrift Contribution

$    7,350

Tax Gross-Ups

$           0

Perquisites

$  20,000

Other

$    2,113

2011 TOTAL COMPENSATION

LOGO  

     
3/5/09  Stock Options  81,834 shares

EQUITY AWARDEDIN 2011

3/5/09
March 4, 2011  Restricted Stock Units 57,669  9,750 units
3/5/09March 4, 2011Stock Options24,531 shares
March 4, 2011  Performance Shares 33,37514,130 shares

(1)   Each equity grant is disclosed at the grant date fair value of the award.

(2)   Mr. Elders does not participate in our qualified defined benefit plan due to commencing his employment with the Company after the plan was closed to new participants in 2006.


20


GARY L. CARLSON

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTAND CHIEF ADMINISTRATION OFFICER

Brandon C. Bethards
President & Chief Executive Officer, The Babcock & Wilcox Company
Age: 62
Tenure with McDermott: 36 years
Mr. Bethards has been President and Chief Executive Officer of B&W since November 2008 after serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer since September 2008. He joined Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc., a major operating subsidiary of B&W, in the early 1970s and served most recently as its President from January 2007 to October 2008 and Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Fossil Power division from February 2001 to January 2007. His earlier positions within the Power Generation Group include Vice President of Business Development, General Manager, District Engineer and Field Service Engineer.
2009 Compensation
     
Annual Base Salary
    
Base Salary $526,200 
     
Annual Incentive Compensation
    
Executive Incentive Compensation Plan $663,012 
     
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
(Grant Date Fair Value)
    
Restricted Stock Units $532,404 
Performance Shares $308,140 
Stock Options $473,450 
     
Pension Plan
    
Annual Increase in Accumulated Pension Benefit $305,160 
     
Other Compensation
    
SERP Contribution $44,948 
Thrift Match $4,906 
Service-Based Thrift Contribution  N/A 
TaxGross-Ups
 $1,144 
Perquisites and Personal Benefits $14,695 
2009 Total Compensation
(PIE CHART)
Equity Awarded in 2009

Age: 57

Tenure with McDermott: 2 years

Mr. Carlson has served as our Senior Vice President and Chief Administration Officer since February 2012. Previously, he served as: Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer from May 2011 to February 2012; Senior Vice President, Human Resources from July 2010 to May 2011; Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Organization Development for our subsidiary J. Ray McDermott, S.A. from March 2010 to July 2010; Senior Vice President, Human Resources of MWH Global, Inc., an energy and environmental engineering, construction and water resource management firm, from 2008 to 2010; and Vice President, Human Resources of KBR, Inc., an engineering, construction and services company, from 2004 to 2008.

2011 COMPENSATION

Annual Base Salary

Base Salary Earned

$332,000

Annual Incentive Compensation

Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

$           0

Long-Term Incentive Compensation(1)

Restricted Stock Units

$116,688

Stock Options

$  94,406

Performance Shares

$238,175

Pension Plan(2)

Annual Change in Present Value of Accumulated Pension Benefit

N/A

Other Compensation

Deferred Compensation Plan Contribution

$  24,800

Thrift Match

$    6,030

Service-Based Thrift Contribution

$    7,350

Tax Gross-Ups

$  11,720

Perquisites(3)

$  68,606

Other

$    2,113

2011 TOTAL COMPENSATION

LOGO  

     
3/5/09  Stock Options  70,149 shares

EQUITY AWARDEDIN 2011

3/5/09
March 4, 2011  Restricted Stock Units 49,4344,551 units
3/5/09March 4, 2011Stock Options9,813 shares
March 4, 2011  Performance Shares 28,6115,652 shares

(1)   Each equity grant is disclosed at the grant date fair value of the award.

(2)   Mr. Carlson does not participate in our qualified defined benefit plan due to commencing his employment with the Company after the plan was closed to new participants in 2006.

(3)   The amount reported for Mr. Carlson includes $48,606 attributable to the cost of providing him relocation assistance in connection with his move from Colorado to Texas.


21


LIANE K. HINRICHS

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSELAND CORPORATE SECRETARY

Stephen M. Johnson
President & Chief Executive Officer, J. Ray Mcdermott, S.A.
Age: 58
Tenure with McDermott: 1 year
Mr. Johnson has been President and Chief Executive Officer of J. Ray McDermott, S.A., one of our subsidiaries, since January 2010. Previously, he served as our President and Chief Operating Officer from April 2009 to December 2009, and from 2001 to 2008 as Senior Executive Vice President and Member, Office of the Chairman, at Washington Group International, Inc. (“Washington Group”) and at URS Corporation, which acquired Washington Group in 2007. Prior to joining Washington Group, Mr. Johnson held various management positions within Fluor Corporation, an engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services company, from 1973 through 2001.
2009 Compensation
     
Annual Base Salary
    
Base Salary $562,500 
     
Annual Incentive Compensation
    
Executive Incentive Compensation Plan $1,131,563 
     
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
(Grant Date Fair Value)
    
Restricted Stock Units $1,687,678 
Performance Shares $976,724 
Stock Options $1,435,394 
     
Pension Plan
    
Annual Increase in Accumulated Pension Benefit  N/A 
     
Other Compensation
    
SERP Contribution $N/A 
Thrift Match $6,342 
Service-Based Thrift Contribution $7,280 
TaxGross-Ups
 $17,111 
Perquisites and Personal Benefits $53,196 
2009 Total Compensation
(PIE CHART)
Equity Awarded in 2009

Age: 54

Tenure with McDermott: 13 years

Ms. Hinrichs has been our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since October 2008. Previously, she served as our: Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from January 2007 to September 2008; Corporate Secretary and Associate General Counsel, Corporate Compliance and Transactions from January 2006 to December 2006; Associate General Counsel, Corporate Compliance and Transactions, and Deputy Corporate Secretary from June 2004 to December 2005; Assistant General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Transactions from October 2001 to May 2004; and Senior Counsel from May 1999 to September 2001. Prior to joining McDermott in 1999, she was a partner in a New Orleans law firm.

2011 COMPENSATION

Annual Base Salary

Base Salary Earned

$435,575

Annual Incentive Compensation

Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

$           0

Long-Term Incentive Compensation(1)

Restricted Stock Units

$256,759

Stock Options

$212,421

Performance Shares

$535,894

Pension Plan

Annual Change in Present Value of Accumulated Pension Benefit

$  76,760

Other Compensation

Deferred Compensation Plan Contribution

$  43,511

Thrift Match

$    6,689

Service-Based Thrift Contribution

$    7,350

Tax Gross-Ups

$           0

Perquisites

$  20,000

Other

$           0

2011 TOTAL COMPENSATION

LOGO  

     
5/14/09  Stock Options  131,949 shares

EQUITY AWARDEDIN 2011

5/14/09
March 4, 2011  Restricted Stock Units 92,98510,014 units
5/14/09March 4, 2011Stock Options22,080 shares
March 4, 2011  Performance Shares 53,81412,717 shares

(1)   Each equity grant is disclosed at the grant date fair value of the award.


22


JOHN T. MCCORMACK

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Robert A. Deason
Former President & Chief Executive Officer, J. Ray Mcdermott, S.A.
Age: 64
Tenure with McDermott: 7 years
Mr. Deason served as President and Chief Executive Officer of our subsidiary, J. Ray McDermott, S.A., from June 2007 to January 2010. He currently serves as its Executive Vice President and is expected to retire at the end of March 2010. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. from March 2003, when he joined the Company. Prior to that, Mr. Deason served as a vice president with Fluor Corporation, an engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services company.
2009 Compensation
     
Annual Base Salary
    
Base Salary $555,000 
     
Annual Incentive Compensation
    
Executive Incentive Compensation Plan $777,000 
     
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
(Grant Date Fair Value)
    
Restricted Stock Units $1,077,000 
Performance Shares $0 
Stock Options $0 
     
Pension Plan
    
Annual Increase in Accumulated Pension Benefit  N/A 
     
Other Compensation
    
SERP Contribution $60,950 
Thrift Match $4,698 
Service-Based Thrift Contribution $7,353 
TaxGross-Ups
 $18,620 
Perquisites and Personal Benefits $32,956 
2009 Total Compensation
(PIE CHART)
Equity Awarded in 2009

Age: 65

Tenure with McDermott: 9 years

Mr. McCormack, 65, has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer since June 2011. Previously, he served as our Senior Vice President, Operations, from July 2010 to June 2011; Senior Vice President, Operations of our subsidiary J. Ray McDermott, S.A. from January 2006 to July 2010; Vice President of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. from May 2004 to January 2006; and Vice President, Project Services of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. since he joined McDermott in January 2003 to May 2004.

2011 COMPENSATION

Annual Base Salary

Base Salary Earned

$447,381

Annual Incentive Compensation

Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

$           0

Long-Term Incentive Compensation(1)

Restricted Stock Units

$281,173

Stock Options

$253,847

Performance Shares

$634,020

Pension Plan(2)

Change in Present Value of Accumulated Pension Benefit

N/A

Other Compensation

Deferred Compensation Plan Contribution

$  36,170

Thrift Match

$    7,350

Service-Based Thrift Contribution

$    7,350

Tax Gross-Ups

$           0

Perquisites

$  20,000

Other

$           0

2011 TOTAL COMPENSATION

LOGO  

     
3/5/09

EQUITY AWARDEDIN 2011(3)

March 4, 2011  Restricted Stock Units 100,000  4,533 units
March 4, 2011Stock Options11,406 shares
March 4, 2011Performance Shares  6,570 shares
May 13, 2011Restricted Stock Units  8,058 units  
May 13, 2011Stock Options18,312 shares
May 13, 2011Performance Shares11,274 shares

(1)    Each equity grant is disclosed at the grant date fair value of the award.

(2)    Mr. McCormack does not participate in our qualified defined benefit plan because he had not met the applicable eligibility requirements at the time the plan was closed to new participants in 2006.

(3)    In addition to the March 4, 2011 grants Mr. McCormack received grants of long-term incentive awards on May 13, 2011 in connection with his promotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer.


23


EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Executive Officers
Set forth below is the age (as of May 7, 2010)10, 2012), the principal positions held with McDermott or our subsidiaries, and other business experience information for each of our current executive officers other than our Continuing Named Executives. For information on our Continuing Named Executives, see “Named Executives Profiles” above. Unless we otherwise specify, all positions described below are positions with McDermott International, Inc.
Dennis S. Baldwin,

Scott V. Cummins, 49, has been Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of McDermott since October 2007. Previously, he served as Chief Accounting Officer of Integrated Electrical Services, Inc,. a national electrical contracting company, from February 2007 to October 2007; as Vice President and Corporate Controller of Veritas DGC, Inc., a seismic company which provides geophysical services to the petroleum industry, from 2005 to 2007; and as Vice President and Corporate Controller of Universal Compression Holdings, Inc., a company providing gas compression services to the domestic and international gas industry, from 2002 to 2005.

Liane K. Hinrichs, 52, has been our Senior Vice President and General CounselManager, Asia Pacific, since November 2011. Previously, he served as: our Vice President and Corporate Secretary since October 2008. Previously, sheGeneral Manager, Asia Pacific, from July 2010 to November 2011; Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, of our subsidiary J. Ray McDermott, S.A. (“JRM”) from April 2008 to July 2010; Vice President, Asia Pacific Business Development, Sales and Marketing, of JRM from September 2006 to April 2008; Business Development Director of JRM from September 2003 to August 2006; and Division Manager, Middle East Fabrication Operations of JRM from November 1999 to September 2003. Mr. Cummins joined McDermott in June 1996, and his earlier positions with the Company include positions in marine, fabrication and project operations roles.

Stewart A. Mitchell, 45, has served as our Senior Vice President and General CounselManager, Middle East, since November 2011. Previously, he served as: our Vice President and Corporate SecretaryGeneral Manager, Middle East, from July 2010 to November 2011; Vice President and General Manager of JRM from July 2007 to July 2010; General Manager of Middle East Projects of JRM from October 2005 to June 2007, Project Director and Manager of numerous projects for JRM from January 20072002 to September 2008; Corporate Secretary2005 and Associate General Counsel, Corporate ComplianceConstruction Management and Transactions from January 2006 to December 2006; Associate General Counsel, Transactions, Corporate Compliance and Deputy Corporate SecretaryField Operations of JRM from June 20041992 to December 2005; Assistant General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Transactions from October 2001 to May 2004; and Senior Counsel from May 1999 to September 2001. Prior to joining McDermott in 1999, she was a partner in a New Orleans law firm.

Preston Johnson, Jr., 54,1992, he held project engineering positions with European Marine Contractors (a joint venture company of Brown & Root and Saipem SpA).

Steven W. Roll, 53, has beenserved as our Senior Vice President Human Resourcesand General Manager, Atlantic, since May 2008.November 2011. Previously, Mr. Johnsonhe served asas: our Vice President, Global Human Resources and Health Services at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (a global oil and natural gas exploration and production company)Commercial Development from October 2005June 2011 to May 2008; SeniorNovember 2011; Vice President, for Human Resources and Business Services at CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (an electric, gas, pipeline and power distribution and delivery company) from March 2000 to October 2005; and Global Director, Human Resources at The Dow Chemical Company (a diversified chemical company) from June 1977 to March 2000.

John D. Krueger, 63, has been our Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Planning since October 2008. He joined the Company in 1976 and served most recently as Vice President, Planning and Business Development for B&W from October 2006May 2011 to September 2008 andJune 2011; Vice President, Business Development of B&Wand Operational Strategy from March 2004July 2010 to October 2006. He also served asMay 2011; Vice President, Business Development for J. Ray McDermott, S.A.and Operational Strategy of JRM from June 1998May 2010 to March 2004 and asJuly 2010; Vice President Planningof JRM from April 2008 to May 2010; and Business Development of McDermott International, Inc., from June 1993 to June 1998. His prior positions within the Company include Director of Corporate Business Planning & Analysis, Director of Corporate Development and Senior Analyst.
James C. Lewis, 54, has been our Vice President, Treasurer since March 2006. Previously, he was: Assistant Treasurer of McDermott from July 2003 to February 2006; Vice President, Structuring of Enron Corp., from December 2001 to July 2003 and Vice President, Structuring of Enron Global Markets, LLC, a subsidiary of Enron Corp., from September 2000 to December 2001.
John T. Nesser, III, 61, has been Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. since October 2008. Previously, he served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative and Legal Officer from January 2007 to September 2008; Executive Vice President and General CounselManager of JRM from January 20062002 to January 2007; Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from February 2001 to January 2006; Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from January 2000 to February 2001; Vice President and Associate General Counsel from June 1999 to January 2000; and Associate General Counsel from October 1998 to June 1999. Previously,April 2008. Mr. Roll has held various other positions since he served as a managing partner of Nesser, King & LeBlanc, a New Orleans law firm, which he co-foundedjoined McDermott in 1985.


241980.


COMPENSATIONDISCUSSIONAND ANALYSIS

Compensation Discussion and Analysis
The following Compensation Discussion and Analysis, or CD&A, provides information relevant to understanding the 20092011 compensation of our executive officers identified in the Summary Compensation Table, whom we refer to as our Named Executives.Executives (we refer to our Named Executives other than Mr. Nesser, who retired in 2011, as our “Continuing Named Executives”). The following discussion also contains statements regarding future individual and company performance targets and goals. These targets and goals are disclosed in the limited context of our compensation programs and should not be understood to be statements of management’s expectations or estimates of results or other guidance. We caution investors not to apply these statements toin other contexts.

Executive Summary

The

In 2011, the Compensation Committee continued its commitment to targeting reasonable and competitive total direct compensation for our Named Executives, in 2009, with a significant and increased portion of that compensation being performance-based. Specifically,Accordingly, our compensation programs provide competitive opportunities, but the earning of most of those opportunities is dependent upon achievement of performance goals and/or stock price performance. Our compensation programs are based on our belief that our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees to develop, expand and execute sound business opportunities is essential to the success of our company. The Compensation Committee, with the assistance of its compensation consultant, has designed and administered compensation programs with the participation of our management in light of this philosophy. These programs generally seek to provide compensation that:

incentivizes and rewards short- and long-term performance, continuity of service and individual contributions; and

promotes retention of well-qualified executives, while aligning the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders.

Reflecting these compensation objectives, compensation arrangements in 2011 for our Continuing Named Executives (other than Mr. Robert A. Deason):resulted in:

target total direct compensation within approximately 15% of the median compensation for officers in comparable positions

  2009

in our market, with the exception of Mr. Johnson, whose target total direct compensation was within 10%-15% ofset slightly above market due to his demonstrated leadership following the median compensation of officers in comparable positions in our market;Spin-off;

•    

performance-based compensation accounting for over 60% of target long-term incentive compensation for 2009 was performance-based; and•    performance-based compensation accounted for over 55% of 2009 target total direct compensation.

Mr. Deason announced his intention to retire as the President and Chief Executive Officer of our subsidiary, J. Ray McDermott, S.A., or J. Ray. In lieu of long-term incentive compensation, Mr. Deason received a restricted stock grant to retain him as J. Ray’s principal executive officer through December 31, 2009. Without any performance-based equity in 2009, only 20% of his target total direct compensation, was performance-based. on average, as compared to 46% in 2010; and

performance-based compensation accounting for 75% of target long-term incentive compensation, as compared to 50% in 2010.

As a result, Mr. Deason’s compensation differs from the other Named Executives and, unless otherwise stated in this CD&A, the compensation analysis provided for Named Executives as a group excludes Mr. Deason.

Theprior years, our Compensation Committee believescontinued to believe that a significant portion of a Named Executive’s compensation should be performance-based, designed to promote and reward the achievement of short- and longer-term financial objectives that are expected to drive shareholderstockholder value. Performance-based compensation for 2011 reflected a balance among the goals of driving operational performance and pursuing long-term stock appreciation. With this beliefthese goals in mind, the Compensation Committeewe continued to tieutilize our established approaches of tying annual and long-term incentive compensationincentives to operating income in 2009. However,and granting stock options as a component of long-term incentives, while implementing some adjustments. Among the Compensation Committee incorporatedadjustments was the inclusion of return on invested capital as a financial performance component of annual incentives. We also resumed granting performance shares, which may vest based upon McDermott’s total shareholder return relative to select peer companiesits peers. The Compensation Committee had decided not to utilize performance shares as an additional performance metric in 2009element of long-term incentive compensation in 2010, in anticipation of the spin-off of The Babcock & Wilcox Company to help align executive compensation with shareholder return. As a result ofour stockholders ( the “Spin-off”), which was completed on July 30, 2010. In using the performance metrics useddescribed above and the emphasis onemphasizing longer-term performance incentives for the 2011 compensation program, the Compensation Committee believes that our compensation practices help to create shareholderstockholder value without encouraging executives to take unnecessary and excessive risks to earn incentive compensation. See “Corporate

The significant 2011 adjustments to the performance-based elements of total direct compensation are reflected below:

Annual Incentive:    The 70% financial performance component of the annual

incentive for 2011 was 70% based on operating income and 30% based on return on invested capital (“ROIC”). The Compensation Committee believes that ROIC is an appropriate financial measure to use for compensation purposes in addition to operating income because it is an indicator of McDermott’s capital efficiency and productivity. ROIC incentivizes the efficient management of assets and aligns management’s interests with those of our stockholders by measuring stockholder value creation and/or erosion when compared to the cost of capital.

Long-Term Incentives:    In 2011, our Compensation Committee increased the percentage of performance-based compensation in our long-term incentive awards for Continuing Named Executives by 50% over 2010. Specifically, performance-based compensation was increased by our Compensation Committee from 50% of long-term incentive compensation for Continuing Named Executives in 2010 to 75% of long-term incentive compensation for Continuing Named Executives in 2011. Additionally, in 2011 our Compensation Committee resumed the use of performance shares, in addition to awards of restricted stock units and stock options. Long-term incentives for Continuing Named Executives in 2011 were comprised 50% of performance shares, 25% of restricted stock units and 25% of stock options, resulting in 75% of long-term incentives being performance-based. The 2011 performance shares may be paid out based upon McDermott’s relative total shareholder return in comparison to its peers over three-, four- and five-year periods. The Compensation Committee believes the performance shares are an appropriate element of incentive compensation in that they align management’s interests with those of our stockholders by focusing on long-term stockholder return.

McDermott’s financial performance in 2011 included:

Consolidated revenue of $3.4 billion, as compared to $2.4 billion for 2010;

Consolidated operating income of $250.7 million, as compared to $314.9 million for 2010; and

Consolidated ROIC of 8%.

Operationally, in 2011 McDermott:

Achieved backlog of $3.88 billion as of December 31, 2011;

Achieved substantial growth in the Asia Pacific segment, as reflected by increases of over 115% in both revenue and operating income in the segment as compared to 2010;

Amended/refinanced its credit facility to extend the scheduled maturity date, provide additional liquidity, obtain additional flexibility under covenants and reduce fees; and

Established a joint venture entity which we co-own with two Brazilian companies, which joint venture plans to bid to provide engineering, procurement and construction services to the oil and gas industry offshore Brazil.

Under McDermott’s 2011 compensation program,

None of the Continuing Named Executives were awarded bonuses under the 2011 EICP. Based on McDermott’s 2011 financial results, the Continuing Named Executives were eligible to earn approximately 18% of their respective 2011 target EICP compensation, subject to the assessment of their respective individual goals. Upon the recommendation of Mr. Johnson based on the 2011 financial results, the Compensation Committee, in the exercise of its discretion, determined that, although the Continuing Named Executives and other participants in the EICP were eligible to earn approximately 18% of their target EICP compensation, 0% would be awarded in light of the financial results. Instead, as recommended by Mr. Johnson, the Compensation Committee determined that the bonus amounts that otherwise would have been payable should effectively be returned to the shareholders in the form of additional operating income. In making this recommendation and decision, respectively, Mr. Johnson and the Compensation Committee considered the increase in 2011

revenues of approximately 43%, together with the decrease in 2011 operating income by approximately 20%, from 2010 levels, the continued performance issues in the Atlantic segment and issues relating to several projects in other segments.

In making its decision not to award bonuses for 2011 under the EICP, the Compensation Committee noted that Mr. Johnson had achieved the individual performance component, based on the Governance Committee’s assessment of Mr. Johnson’s individual performance against stated goals, and each of Messrs. Elders, Carlson and McCormack and Ms. Hinrichs had achieved their respective individual performance components based on Mr. Johnson’s assessment of their respective individual

performance achievements against stated goals, with the exception of the financial performance goal and safety goal for Mr. McCormack.

As of December 31, 2011, (1) the estimated payout as a percent of target for the performance shares granted in 2011 was 0%, and (2) the share price of our common stock had not exceeded the strike price of the stock options granted in 2011, although as noted below, the estimated payout and share price may change during the term of the performance shares and stock options.

The following table summarizes the 2011 performance-based compensation opportunities for each of our Continuing Named Executives as compared to the realizable value of such opportunities as of December 31, 2011:

2011 Performance-Based Compensation Opportunity vs. Realizable Value as of December 31, 2011

    EICP(1)   Performance
Shares(2)(3)
   Stock
Options(2)(3)
   Total 

S. M. Johnson

        

2011 Opportunity

  $942,603    $2,382,132    $944,089    $4,268,824  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

P. L. Elders

        

2011 Opportunity

  $336,911    $595,438    $236,000    $1,168,349  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

G. L. Carlson

        

2011 Opportunity

  $199,233    $238,175    $94,406    $531,814  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

L. K. Hinrichs

        

2011 Opportunity

  $261,381    $535,894    $212,421    $1,009,696  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

J. T. McCormack

        

2011 Opportunity

  $274,549    $634,020    $253,847    $1,162,416  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

(1)2011 Opportunity Values for EICP are disclosed at the Continuing Named Executives’ target EICP award. The 2011 Opportunity Value provided for Mr. McCormack reflects his target EICP award following his promotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer.

(2)2011 Opportunity Values for performance shares and stock options are disclosed at the grant date fair value of the respective awards.

(3)The 2011 Realizable Values shown above are measured as of December 31, 2011. However, the amount of the performance shares granted in 2011 that ultimately vest, if any, will be determined by reference to our total shareholder return over three-, four- and five-year periods. See “Long-Term Incentive Compensation — Analysis of 2011 Equity Grants.” The vesting of any of these performance shares would impact the future Realizable Value of these performance share awards. In addition, an increase in our stock price compared to our stock price at December 31, 2011 may impact the future Realizable Value of the stock option awards granted in 2011.

Over the past two years, McDermott has also adopted certain compensation and governance policies and practices, as summarized below:

Change in control agreements that: (1) contain what is commonly referred to as a “double trigger,” that is, they provide benefits only upon an involuntary termination or constructive termination of the executive officer within one year following a change in control; (2) do not provide for excise tax gross-ups, thereby eliminating the gross-up provisions in prior agreements; and (3) require the applicable officer’s execution of a release prior to payment of certain benefits.

Revised stock ownership guidelines that require our officers at the level of vice president or above and nonemployee directors to retain a dollar value of McDermott stock based on a multiple of their respective base salaries or annual retainers.

A clawback policy under which McDermott would seek to recover any incentive-based award granted to any executive officer as required by the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any other “clawback” provision required by law or the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange; and prohibition of directors, officers and employees from engaging in “short sales” or trading in puts, calls or other options on McDermott’s common stock, and prohibition from engaging in hedging transactions and from holding McDermott shares in a margin account or pledging McDermott shares as collateral for a loan.

Impact of 2011 Say on Pay Vote on Executive Compensation

In approving the 2012 compensation of the Continuing Named Executives, the Compensation Committee reviewed the vote on the say-on-pay proposal at the 2011 annual general meeting of stockholders. Approximately 99% of the votes cast on the say-on-pay proposal at that meeting were voted in favor of the proposal. The Compensation Committee believes this affirms stockholders’ support of the Company’s approach to executive compensation. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee did not adopt any specific changes based on the vote. The Compensation Committee will continue to consider the outcome of the Company’s

say-on-pay votes when making future compensation decisions for the named executive officers. The Compensation Committee expects to continue to hold the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation every year.

Role of Compensation Committee, Compensation Consultant and Management

Compensation Committee.    The Compensation Committee has primary responsibility for determining and approving, on an annual basis, the compensation of our CEO and other executive officers. The Compensation Committee receives information and advice from its compensation consultant as well as from our human resources department and management to assist in compensation determinations.

Compensation Consultant.    Our Compensation Committee selected and engaged Pay Governance LLC, or “Pay Governance,” to serve as the consultant to the Compensation Committee on executive and director compensation matters in November 2010, and Pay Governance has been serving in that capacity since that time. Pay Governance provides advice and analysis to the Compensation Committee on the design, structure and level of executive and director compensation, and, when requested by the Compensation Committee, attends meetings of the Compensation Committee and participates in executive sessions without members of management present. Pay Governance reports directly to the Compensation Committee, and the Committee reviews, on an annual basis, Pay Governance’s performance and provides Pay Governance with direct feedback on its performance. Pay Governance also attends meetings of the Governance Committee with respect to nonemployee director compensation.

In 2011, Pay Governance did not perform any services for McDermott other than as described above.

Role of CEO and Management.    While the Compensation Committee has the responsibility to approve and monitor all compensation for our executive officers, management plays an important role in determining executive compensation. Management, at the request of the Compensation Committee, recommends financial goals and works with Pay Governance to analyze competitive market data and to recommend compensation levels for our executive officers. Our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Johnson, likewise assists the Compensation Committee by providing his evaluation of the performance of our other executive officers and recommending compensation for those officers.

Overview of Compensation Elements

The following table summarizes the principal elements of our compensation program for our Named Executives, which we collectively refer to as “total direct compensation.”

Compensation ElementObjectiveKey Features

Annual Base Salary

To provide a fixed level of compensation that helps attract and retain executives

•   Salary level recognizes an executive officer’s experience, skill and performance, with the goal of being market competitive based on the officer’s role and responsibilities within the organization.

•   Adjustments may be made based on individual performance, inflation, pay relative to market and internal equity considerations.

•   This element is paid in cash.

Annual Incentive

To motivate and reward the achievement of short-term company performance

•   The Compensation Committee establishes an annual incentive bonus opportunity for each Named Executive at the beginning of the year.

•   The annual incentive aligns the Named Executives’ interests with McDermott’s short-term corporate strategies, and correlates pay with the achievement of short-term company goals.

•   To qualify for a payout, McDermott must achieve a predetermined performance threshold. Actual payouts to Named Executives are based on a combination of financial and individual performance factors, as well as other individual contributions throughout the year.

•   This element is paid in cash.

Long-Term Incentives

To motivate and reward the achievement of long-term company performance (typically three or more years), align executives’ interests with those of our stockholders and retain executives

•   Long-term awards for our Named Executives in 2011 consisted of 50% performance shares, 25% stock options and 25% restricted stock units.

Performance Shares

•   Structured to be paid out in shares of McDermott common stock at the end of three-, four- and five-year performance periods to the extent applicable performance goals are met.

•   Performance goals are based on total stockholder return over the applicable performance period relative to McDermott’s peer group. Performance shares pay out at target if these goals are met, below target or not at all if the goals are not met, and above target if the goals are exceeded, up to 200% of the target award.

•   Intended to align the Named Executives’ interests with those of our stockholders with a focus on long-term results.

Stock Options

•   Structured to vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date.

•   Intended to strengthen the relationship between the long-term value of our stock price and the potential financial gain for our Named Executives, as the value of each stock option is realized on exercise only if our stock price increases from the date of grant.

Restricted Stock Units

•   Structured to be paid out in shares of McDermott common stock in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date.

•   Intended to encourage retention of the Named Executives as the restricted stock units vest based on continued employment with McDermott.

Defining Market Range Compensation BoardBenchmarking

To identify median compensation for each element of Directorstotal direct compensation, the Compensation Committee relies on “benchmarking.” This involves reviewing the compensation of our Named Executives relative to the compensation paid to similarly situated executives at companies we consider our peers. As a result, the annual base salary, target annual incentive compensation and Itstarget long-term incentive compensation as a whole for each of the Named Executives is benchmarked. However, the specific performance metrics and performance levels used within elements of annual and long-term compensation are designed for the principal purpose of supporting our strategic and financial goals and/or driving the creation of stockholder value, and, as a result, are not generally benchmarked.

Following the engagement of Pay Governance as the Compensation Committee’s consultant in November 2010, Pay Governance reviewed the peer group the Compensation Committee uses for benchmarking at the Compensation Committee’s request and recommended revisions to the component companies. These suggested revisions were discussed and adopted by the Compensation Committee with some further revisions. At the direction of the Compensation Committee, Pay Governance compiled market data from two groups, the Proxy Peer Group and the Survey Group, as discussed below.

Proxy Peer Group.    Pay Governance utilized market data based on a set of 18 comparator companies (the “Proxy Peer Group”), identified through a screen of companies with business and financial parity to McDermott. The component companies of the Proxy Peer Group are included on page 42 of this CD&A. The Proxy Peer Group was used as the primary reference point for the Named Executives, with the exception of Mr. Carlson, due to the lack of proxy information on his position. With the exception of market data provided in connection with Mr. McCormack’s promotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer (“EVP, COO”), market data from the Proxy Peer Group represented 2009 compensation, as reported in 2010 proxy statements for the fiscal year ended 2009, and is not size-adjusted. The market data provided from the Proxy Peer Group in connection with Mr. McCormack’s promotion to EVP, COO represented 2010 compensation, as reported in 2011 proxy statements for the fiscal year ended 2010.

Survey Peer Group.    Pay Governance also utilized market data based on a set of 99 companies in similar industries which participate in Towers Watson surveys (the “Survey Peer Group”). The Survey Peer Group is intended to provide a reference point for pay levels within similar industries. Aside from screening companies on the basis of their industry classifications, no further refinements or judgments were applied in the identification of companies within the sample. The component companies of the Survey Peer Group are included on page 42 of this CD&A. The Survey Peer Group was used as a secondary reference for the Named Executives, with the exception of Mr. Carlson, for whom it was used as a primary reference. Market data from the Survey Peer Group represents 2010 compensation as reported to the survey and, when possible, size adjusted. Corporate positions, including that of Mr. Carlson, were evaluated based on both expected 2011 revenues of $3.4 billion and a longer-term objective of $5 billion in annual revenues, and business unit positions were evaluated based on their respective profit and loss levels.

In this CD&A references to “market” or “our market” are references to the compensation of executives at companies within the Proxy Peer Group for each Named Executive with the exception of Mr. Carlson, and the Survey Peer Group for Mr. Carlson.

Target Total Direct Compensation

The Compensation Committee seeks to provide reasonable and competitive compensation. As a result, it targets the elements of total direct compensation for our Named Executives generally within approximately 15% of the median compensation of our market for comparable positions. Throughout this CD&A, we refer to compensation that is within approximately 15% of market median as “market range” compensation.

The Compensation Committee may set elements of total direct compensation above or below the market range to account for a Named Executive’s performance and experience, internal equity and other factors or situations that are not typically captured by looking at standard market data and practices and that the Compensation Committee deems relevant to the appropriateness and/or competitiveness of a Named Executive’s compensation.

When making decisions regarding individual compensation elements, the Compensation Commit-

tee also considers the effect on the Named Executive’s target total direct compensation and target total cash-based compensation (annual base salary and annual incentives), as applicable. Our Compensation Committee’s goal is to establish target compensation for each element that, when combined, create a target total direct compensation award for each Named Executive that is reasonable and competitive and supports the Company’s compensation philosophy and objectives.

2011 Overview.    The 2011 target total direct compensation for each of our Named Executives was within the market range of target total direct compensation, except for Mr. Johnson and Mr. Nesser. The target total direct compensation for

Mr. Johnson was set above market range due to Mr. Johnson’s demonstrated leadership as Chief Executive Officer following the Spin-off. The target total direct compensation for Mr. Nesser was set below market range due to no long-term incentives being provided to him in advance of his anticipated retirement.

The chart below shows the 2011 target total direct compensation by element for each Named Executive. Because the amount of compensation actually paid through the compensation elements that are performance-based is not fixed at the outset, Named Executives may earn compensation above or below the market range for similarly situated executives in our market.

2011 Target Total Direct Compensation Summary

Named Executive  

Annual

Base Salary

  

Annual
Incentive(1)

(% of Salary)

 

Long-Term

Incentive(2)

  Target Total
Direct
Compensation as
Percent of
Market(3)
 Percent
Performance-
Based(4)

S. M. Johnson

  $950,000   100% $4,000,000   117% 67%

P. L. Elders

  $485,000   70% $1,000,000   86% 60%

G. L. Carlson

  $336,000   60% $416,720   112% 54%

L. K. Hinrichs

  $440,000   60% $931,767   103% 59%

J. T. McCormack(5)

      

EVP, COO

  $500,000   70% $1,125,000   73% 59%

SVP, Operations

  $400,000   50% $465,000   106% 51%

J. T. Nesser

  $512,508   70%     83% 41%

Average Mix of Compensation Elements(6)

   22%   17%  61%   N/A 60%

(1)When making decisions as to the elements of a Named Executive’s total direct compensation, the Compensation Committee considers the dollar value of annual incentive compensation but typically awards this element as percentages of annual base salary. This is primarily because our market generally targets annual incentive on a percentage-of-salary basis.

(2)The values provided in this column are the target values of long-term incentives approved by the Compensation Committee. For more information on the grant date fair values of long-term incentives, see the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below.

(3)Market = Median annual base salary, based on the benchmark applicable to the executive. 100% represents median compensation.

(4)With the exception of Mr. Nesser, performance-based compensation consists of a Named Executive’s annual incentive and 75% of the target value of long-term incentives, representing that portion of long-term incentive compensation attributable to performance shares and stock options. For Mr. Nesser, performance-based compensation consists only of Mr. Nesser’s annual incentive, as he was not granted long-term incentive compensation in 2011 in anticipation of his retirement by year-end 2011.

(5)In connection with Mr. McCormack’s promotion to EVP, COO on June 30, 2011, Mr. McCormack’s annual base salary and annual incentive compensation target were increased. Additionally, Mr. McCormack received a supplemental long-term incentive award with a target value of $660,000, which, when combined with the long-term incentive award of $465,000 granted to him in March 2011, resulted in total long-term incentives of $1,125,000.

(6)The values provided for the average mix of compensation elements do not include Mr. McCormack’s target compensation pertaining to his former position or Mr. Nesser’s target compensation.

While the Compensation Committee does not set a specific target allocation among the elements of total direct compensation, it believes that a significant portion of a Named Executive’s total direct compensation should be performance-based. As shown above, excluding Mr. McCormack’s target compensation from his former position and Mr. Nesser’s target compensation, on average, performance-based compensation accounted for approximately 60% of a Named Executive’s 2011 target total direct compensation and 75% of his or her long-term incentive compensation, representing that portion of long-term incentive compensation attributable to performance shares and stock options.

Annual Base Salary

The 2011 base salaries for our Named Executives, which reflect increases that became effective as of April 1, 2011, were as follows:

Named Executive 

2011 Annual

Base Salary

  Percent
Increase
 Percent of
Market(1)

S. M. Johnson

 $950,000   3.26% 106%

P.L. Elders

 $485,000   3.19% 105%

G. L. Carlson

 $336,000   5.00% 105%

L. K. Hinrichs

 $440,000   4.19% 114%

J. T. McCormack

   

EVP, COO

 $500,000   N/A 81%

SVP, Operations

 $400,000   3.09% 110%

J. T. Nesser

 $512,508   0.00% 100%

(1)Market = Median annual base salary, based on the benchmark applicable to the executive. 100% represents median compensation.

When considering base salaries effective April 1, 2011, the Compensation Committee sought to set salaries within the market range. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee set annual base salaries within market range for each Named Executive, with year-over-year increases ranging from 0-5%.

In May 2011, in consideration of the market compensation analysis and recommendation provided by Pay Governance in connection with Mr. McCormack’s June 30, 2011 promotion to EVP, COO, the Compensation Committee increased Mr. McCormack’s base salary to $500,000 effective June 30, 2011. The Compensation Committee approved this slightly below market salary based on Mr. McCormack’s relative experience with his new

position and in light of internal pay equity considerations.

Annual Incentive Compensation

2011 Overview and Target Compensation.    The Compensation Committee administers our annual incentive compensation program under our Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (the “EICP”).

The EICP is a cash incentive plan designed to motivate and reward our Named Executives and other key employees for their contributions to business goals and other factors that we believe drive our earnings and promote creation of stockholder value.

The target 2011 EICP compensation for our Named Executives was as follows:

Named Executive  Target EICP
(% of annual
base salary)
 Percent  of
Market(1)

S. M. Johnson

  100% 102%

P. L. Elders

  70% 87%

G. L. Carlson

  60% 121%

L. K. Hinrichs

  60% 85%

J. T. McCormack(2)

   

EVP, COO

  70% 71%

SVP, Operations

  50% 113%

J. T. Nesser

  70% 67%

(1)Market = Median target annual incentive compensation, based on the benchmark applicable to the executive. 100% represents median compensation.

(2)Mr. McCormack’s target EICP was prorated based on his length of service at his current and former positions.

The 2011 target EICP for Messrs. Johnson, Elders and Nesser remained unchanged from their respective 2010 targets. Mr. Carlson’s and Ms. Hinrichs’ respective targets were each increased to 60% of annual base salary earned for 2011. This resulted in an above-market target for Mr. Carlson; however, the Compensation Committee deemed this target appropriate based on internal pay equity considerations. Mr. McCormack’s 2011 target EICP was increased to 50% of annual base salary earned when the targets were set by the Compensation Committee in February 2011 based on internal pay equity considerations. The target was then increased to 70% in connection with his promotion to EVP, COO in June 2011 to bring his target EICP award closer to market range for his new position and based on internal pay equity considerations.

2011 EICP Performance Goals.    Traditionally, EICP compensation has consisted of a financial performance component and an individual performance component. To continue to drive performance of McDermott’s operations, the 2011 EICP target compensation for officers, including the Named Executives, was also set utilizing financial and individual performance components. Generally, the 2011 target EICP was split between financial and individual components as follows:

70% of target EICP was attributable to financial performance, of which 70% was attributable to operating income and 30% was attributable to return on invested capital; and

30% of target EICP was attributable to individual performance.

Financial performance is the largest factor in determining EICP compensation, because the Compensation Committee generally considers it to be more objective and to more directly influence the creation of stockholder value, as compared to individual performance. Individual performance, however, serves as an important metric to help promote the achievement of strategic goals that may not be measured in an annual financial metric. To reward significant individual contributions, the Compensation Committee maintained the individual component for 2011 at 30% of target EICP for 2011. However, to maintain the emphasis on financial performance, payment of EICP compensation (including for individual performance) required the attainment of the threshold level of operating income financial performance. The maximum EICP compensation a Named Executive could earn in 2011 was a multiple of 2x target EICP. For all Named Executives, the Compensation Committee had the discretion to decrease an EICP payment.

As a result, for each Named Executive the EICP payment amount was principally determined based on: (1) the attainment of annual financial goals; and (2) the attainment of annual individual goals, as displayed below:

LOGO

2011 Financial Performance Goals.    Historically, the financial goals for the EICP consisted of operating income levels related to McDermott and/or business unit operating income relevant to each Named Executive. The Compensation Committee considers operating income an appropriate financial measure to use for compensation purposes because it is the primary driver of net income, which the Compensation Committee expects to drive our stock price. In comparison to net income, however, operating income is more directly influenced by the revenues generated and costs incurred as a result of management action. In 2011, operating income comprised 70% of the financial performance component of a Named Executive’s target EICP award.

In 2011, the Compensation Committee added return on invested capital, or ROIC, as an additional financial performance metric under the EICP. The Compensation Committee considers ROIC an appropriate financial measure to use for compensation purposes because it is an indicator of McDermott’s capital efficiency and productivity. ROIC also incentivizes the management of assets, and aligns management’s interest with those of our stockholders by measuring stockholder value creation and/or erosion when compared to the cost of capital. ROIC comprised 30% of the financial performance component of a Named Executive’s target EICP award for 2011.

The Compensation Committee established three primary levels of operating income and ROIC goals, which together would determine the threshold, target and maximum amounts that would be paid under the financial performance component of the EICP. In establishing the target level, the Compensation Committee considered management’s internal estimates of operating income and ROIC, discussed those estimates with Mr. Johnson, and then set the target level and threshold and maximum levels as a percentage of the target level. The Compensation Committee designs incentive compensation to drive target level performance and does not believe that compensation should be earned for performance substantially below that level. As a result, no EICP compensation would be earned (including for individual performance) unless the threshold level of operating income financial performance was attained, irrespective of the level of ROIC attained. The Compensation Committee believes that Named

Executives should be rewarded for superior financial performance. It therefore establishes a maximum level performance goal to incentivize higher performance, but caps the payout to maximize returns to stockholders for performance above the maximum payout level.

For other levels of operating income and ROIC between threshold and maximum, the percentage paid would be determined by linear interpolation using the two neighboring pre-established performance levels and payout as a multiple of target award. No payment would have been earned under the EICP for 2011 if operating income results had been below the threshold level, notwithstanding the ROIC performance level.

A Named Executive would have been eligible to earn the following amounts under the 2011 EICP based on attaining the following levels of operating income and ROIC:

2011 EICP Payout Matrix

    Performance
Goal
 

Consolidated
Operating
Income

(in millions)

  

Payout(1)

(as a multiple
of target
EICP award)

     Performance
Goal
 Consolidated
ROIC
 

Payout(2)

(as a multiple of
target EICP
award)

  >120% >$420  2.00    >120% >16.7% 2.00

Maximum

  120% $420  2.00    120% 16.7% 2.00
  110% $385  1.50    110% 15.3% 1.50

Target

  100% $350  1.00    100% 13.9% 1.00
  90% $315  0.75    97% 13.4% 0.75
  80% $280  0.50    93% 12.9% 0.50

Threshold

  70% $256  0.25    90% 12.4% 0.25
  < 70% <$245  0.00    <90% <12.4% 0.00

(1)The Payout for consolidated operating income is a multiple of target EICP award with respect to the 70% portion of financial performance goals attributable to operating income.

(2)The Payout for consolidated ROIC is a multiple of target EICP award with respect to the 30% portion of financial goals attributable to ROIC.

2011 Individual Performance Goals.    Individual goals established for each Named Executive were tailored to the individual’s position and focused on supporting strategic initiatives and achieving common goals. Mr. Johnson’s individual goals were established by the Compensation Committee. Each Named Executive, with the exception of Messrs. Johnson and

Nesser, proposed their respective individual goals, which were approved by Mr. Johnson. No individual goals were established for Mr. Nesser in light of his anticipated retirement by year-end 2011. The individual goals for our Continuing Named Executives’ 2011 EICP compensation are set forth in the table on the following page.

Stephen M. Johnson:

•    Lead the Company and set a philosophy that is well understood, widely supported, consistently applied and effectively implemented;

•    Establish a clearly-articulated and executable strategy for the Company which conserves cash and leverages capital expenditures in a conservative manner;

•    Establish appropriate annual and long-term financial objectives; ensure that appropriate systems are maintained to protect assets and maintain effective control of operations;

•    Develop, attract, retain, motivate and supervise an effective top management team capable of achieving objectives; provide for executive management succession planning;

•    Serve as the chief spokesperson for the Company, communicating effectively with shareholders and stakeholders;

•    Work closely with the Board of Directors to keep them fully informed on all important aspects of the Company; make timely recommendations for Board action and respond to suggestions and directives from the Board and its committees;

•    Achieve specific safety goals and objectives and promote safe work practices as the highest operational priority; and

•    Assure that all operations and business dealings are conducted with the utmost compliance with applicable laws and regulations and the highest level of ethical behavior is exhibited by the Company.

Perry L. Elders:

•    Convert the capital allocation, management reporting, revenue pipeline and estimating methodology from project initiatives into recurring processes;

•    Build a high performing finance team, including succession and development planning as well as implement development plans including changing duties of certain individuals;

•    Form a capital team to oversee and manage the capital allocation and authorization process as well as identify and evaluate sources of capital;

•    Assess and optimize cash investments;

•    Establish balance sheet forecasts, improve annual budget process, establish operating unit level invested capital calculations to drive ROIC reporting; and

•    Assist the CEO and executive management with developing a new culture within the Company.

Gary L. Carlson:

•    Design and implement a global employee classification scheme;

•    Deploy talent development and succession planning program to the project organization including discrete, measurable, and time sensitive candidate development plans;

•    Design and implement a global career development and performance management program;

•    Close the Third Country National pension plan to new participants and freeze benefit accruals thereunder, and establish a new defined contribution plan for non-U.S. expatriates;

•    Design a comprehensive mobilization program revision road map; and

•    Establish a comprehensive information technology plan and governance model, and complete the 2011 information technology initiatives on time and within budget.

Liane K. Hinrichs:

•    Lead the legal group through post Spin-off reorganization;

•    Work with the Board of Directors and management to continue enhancements to the ERM program; and

•    Lead the review, analysis and response to any significant changes in compliance requirements.

John T. McCormack:

•    Achieve specific safety goals and objectives;

•    Achieve specific levels of financial performance with respect to operating income, return on invested capital and new bookings;

•    Provide for executive management succession planning; and

•    Improve communications among the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, McDermott operations personnel and customers.

2011 Annual Incentive Compensation Payments.    The 2011 target and final EICP compensation amounts for each Named Executive are shown in the table below.

2011 EICP Payment Summary

Named Executive 2011 EICP
Target
% of Salary
  

Final
2011

Annual
Incentive

 

S. M. Johnson

 100%  $0  

P. L. Elders

   70%  $0  

G. L. Carlson

   60%  $0  

L. K. Hinrichs

   60%  $0  

J. T. McCormack(1)

   

EVP, COO

   70%  

SVP, Operations

   50%  $0  

J. T. Nesser

   70%  $206,408  

(1)Mr. McCormack’s target EICP was prorated based on his length of service at his current and former positions.

Analysis of 2011 EICP Payments.    In February 2012, the Compensation Committee considered (1) McDermott’s 2011 consolidated operating income and ROIC; (2) Mr. Johnson’s self-assessment of his individual performance relative to his individual goals; (3) the nonemployee directors’ assessment of the individual performance of Mr. Johnson; and (4) Mr. Johnson’s recommendation of each other Continuing Named Executive’s 2011 EICP compensation based on his assessment of the financial and individual performance applicable to each of those Continuing Named Executives.

In order to determine whether the financial goals were attained, the Compensation Committee utilized McDermott’s consolidated operating income, which was slightly above the threshold level of $245.0 million, and consolidated ROIC of 8%, which was below the threshold level of 12.4%. The consolidated ROIC percentage was derived by dividing (1) the sum of income from continuing operations before noncontrolling interest less net income attributable to noncontrolling interest by (2) the average net assets during 2011, which was calculated by subtracting current liabilities from total assets. The consolidated operating income of $250.7 million resulted in a notional payout level of approximately 26% with respect to the 70% portion of the financial performance goals attributable to operating income, and the consolidated ROIC of 8% resulted in a notional payout of 0.00% with respect to the 30% portion of

financial performance goals attributable to consolidated ROIC. The combined operating income and ROIC performance resulted in eligibility of the participants in the EICP to earn approximately 18% of their target EICP compensation, subject to the assessment of their individual goals.

The Continuing Named Executives.    None of the Continuing Named Executives were awarded bonuses under the 2011 EICP. Based on McDermott’s 2011 financial results, the Continuing Named Executives were eligible to earn approximately 18% of their respective 2011 target EICP compensation, subject to the assessment of their respective individual goals. Upon the recommendation of Mr. Johnson based on the 2011 financial results, the Compensation Committee, in the exercise of its discretion, determined that, although the Continuing Named Executives and other participants in the EICP were eligible to earn approximately 18% of their target EICP compensation, 0% would be awarded in light of the financial results. Instead, as recommended by Mr. Johnson, the Compensation Committee determined that the bonus amounts that otherwise would have been payable should effectively be returned to the shareholders in the form of additional operating income, resulting in the reported consolidated operating income of $250.7 million. In making this recommendation and decision, respectively, Mr. Johnson and the Compensation Committee considered the increase in 2011 revenues of approximately 43%, together with the decrease in 2011 operating income by approximately 20%, from 2010 levels, the continued performance issues in the Atlantic region and issues relating to several projects in other regions.

In making its decision not to award bonuses for 2011 under the EICP, the Compensation Committee noted that Mr. Johnson had achieved the individual performance component, based on the Governance Committee’s assessment of Mr. Johnson’s individual performance against stated goals, and each of Messrs. Elders, Carlson and McCormack and Ms. Hinrichs had achieved their respective individual performance components based on Mr. Johnson’s assessment of their respective individual performance achievements against stated goals, with the exception of the financial performance goal and a safety goal for Mr. McCormack.

Mr. Nesser.    Pursuant to the terms of Mr. Nesser’s separation agreement entered into in connection with his retirement, Mr. Nesser was paid

his prorated 2011 EICP compensation in August 2011. Per the terms of his separation agreement, Mr. Nesser was paid a cash payment equal to his target bonus under the EICP times a fraction, the numerator of which was the number of days elapsed in the year in which the retirement took place and the denominator of which was 365. Mr. Nesser received a prorated target bonus of $206,408, based on his partial year service. For more information regarding Mr. Nesser’s separation agreement, see “Employment and Severance Arrangements Employment and Separation Agreements” below.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation

The Compensation Committee”Committee believes that the interests of our stockholders are best served when a significant percentage of executive compensation is comprised of equity and other long-term incentives that appreciate in value contingent upon increases in the value of our common stock and other performance measures that reflect improvements in McDermott’s business fundamentals. Therefore, long-term incentive compensation represents the single largest element of our Named Executives’ total direct compensation.

Analysis of 2011 Equity Grants.

Mix of 2011 Equity.    In 2011, the Compensation Committee allocated long-term incentive compensation to officers, including the Continuing Named Executives, as follows:

50% performance shares;

25% non-qualified stock options; and

25% restricted stock units.

To strengthen its commitment to performance-based compensation, the Compensation Committee resumed using performance shares in 2011. The Compensation Committee believes the granting of total shareholder return (“TSR”) performance shares is an appropriate element of incentive compensation, in that TSR performance shares align the Continuing Named Executives’ interests with those of our stockholders, with a focus on long-term results. The amount of performance shares that vest, if any, is scheduled to initially be determined at the end of three calendar years (including 2011) based on McDermott’s TSR relative to the Proxy Peer Group during the same period, with subsequent measurements of TSR relative to the Proxy Peer Group at the end of four and five calendar years (including 2011). The total percentage of performance shares which

will vest, if any, may range in amount between 0% and 200% of the number of shares granted, depending on McDermott’s TSR relative to the Proxy Peer Group over the applicable measurement periods. As of December 31, 2011, the estimated payout as a percentage of target for the performance shares granted in 2011 was 0% due to the Company’s share price performance versus the Proxy Peer Group.

As in 2009 and 2010, in 2011 the Compensation Committee continued to use stock options, which reward and drive performance based on absolute stock price improvement. The stock options generally vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date and have an option term of seven years. As of December 31, 2011, the price of the Company’s shares had not exceeded the strike price of the stock options granted in 2011.

Similarly, as in 2008, 2009 and 2010, the Compensation Committee awarded restricted stock units to the Continuing Named Executives, although such restricted stock units represented a smaller percentage of the Continuing Named Executive’s long-term incentive compensation than in the recent past. Restricted stock units are intended to promote the retention of employees, including the Continuing Named Executives, and generally vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date.

In 2011 our Compensation Committee adopted a clawback policy under which McDermott would seek to recover any incentive-based award granted to any executive officer as required by the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any other “clawback” provision required by law or the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. Each grant made to the Continuing Named Executives in 2011 was subject to this clawback policy.

Additionally, and consistent with our recent past practice, our grant agreements for awards made in 2011 contained a forfeiture provision. In 2011, this provision provided that in the event that, while the grantee is employed by McDermott or performing services on behalf of McDermott under any consulting agreement, the grantee is convicted of a misdemeanor involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude or a felony, or the grantee engages in conduct that adversely affects or, in the sole judgment of the Compensation Committee, may reasonably be expected to adversely affect, the business reputation

or economic interests of the Company, then all rights and benefits awarded under the respective agreements are immediately forfeited, terminated and withdrawn.

For more information regarding the relationship between2011 performance shares, stock options and restricted stock units, see the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below.

Value of 2011 Long-Term Incentive Compensation.    The 2011 target long-term incentive compensation for our Named Executives was as follows:

Named Executive(1)  Target LTI
Value
   Percent  of
Market(2)

S. M. Johnson

  $4,000,000    125%

P. L. Elders

  $1,000,000    79%

G. L. Carlson

  $416,720    114%

L. K. Hinrichs

  $931,767    105%

J. T. McCormack(3)

EVP, COO

SVP, Operations

  $

$

1,125,000

465,000

  

  

  81%

100%

(1)No long-term incentive award was granted to Mr. Nesser in 2011 in light of his anticipated retirement by year-end 2011.

(2)Market = Median target long-term incentives based on the benchmark applicable to the executive. 100% represents median compensation.

(3)The target LTI value shown in connection with Mr. McCormack’s promotion to EVP, COO reflects his March 2011 LTI award in addition to a supplemental award in the amount of $660,000 in connection with his promotion. Percent of market reflected for Mr. McCormack’s current position is the percent of market based upon a combination of Mr. McCormack’s target LTI award values from his former and current positions.

When considering the target values of long-term incentive to be provided to the Continuing Named Executives, the Compensation Committee sought to set target values within the market range. Accordingly, each Continuing Named Executive’s target long-term incentive value was within market range, with the exception of Messrs. Johnson and Elders and Mr. McCormack’s target long-term incentive value associated with his promotion to EVP, COO in June 2011. When granted, the value of Mr. Johnson’s long-term incentive compensation practices and risks.was above market range in order to further compensate Mr. Johnson for his performance following the Spin-off, while continuing to incentivize him based on the long-term performance of McDermott. The value of Mr. Elders’ long-term incentive compensation was below market

range; however, combined with the other components of compensation for 2011, his target total direct compensation was within market range. The performance-basedvalue of Mr. McCormack’s long-term incentive compensation that paid outfollowing his promotion to EVP, COO was also set below market range in 2009 also reflectedlight of the Compensation Committee’s commitmentview that a newly promoted Chief Operating Officer should receive competitive compensation, although not necessarily equal to pay for performance. McDermott’s cumulative operating incomethe compensation of over $1.8 billiona more experienced officer in a similar position.

As of December 31, 2011, (1) the estimated payout as a percent of target for the three-yearperformance shares granted in 2011 was 0%, and (2) the share price of our common stock had not exceeded the strike price of the stock options granted in 2011. However, the amount of performance shares granted in 2011 that ultimately vest, if any, will be determined by reference to our total shareholder return over three-, four- and five-year periods. The vesting of these performance shares would impact the future realizable value of these performance shares. In addition, an increase in our stock price compared to our stock price at December 31, 2011 may impact the future realizable value of the stock options granted in 2011.

Sizing Long-Term Incentive Compensation.    The Compensation Committee generally determines the size of equity-based grants as a dollar value, rather than granting a targeted number of shares. The number of restricted stock units, performance shares and stock options granted can be expressed through the following formula:

target value of target long-term incentive($)/FMV($).

The fair market value of one restricted stock unit was computed based on the full fair market value of McDermott’s common stock based on the closing price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on the date of grant. The fair market value of one performance share was determined by Pay Governance using a Monte Carlo valuation model and the fair market value of an option to acquire one share of our common stock was determined by Pay Governance using a Black-Scholes model. Both of these valuation models consider the full fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant in conjunction with other valuation inputs. Full fair market value may differ from grant date fair value dependent on the analysis performed under Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718.

For example, for the long-term incentive compensation granted to the Continuing Named Executives in March 2011, the fair market value of our common stock as of the date the grants were determined (based on the closing price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange) was $25.64, compared to the value of $35.38 for each performance share and the value of $10.19 for an option to acquire one share of our common stock. Because the long-term incentive compensation grants vest over three years, the number of shares calculated was rounded to the nearest multiple of three.

Timing of Equity Grants.    To avoid timing equity grants ahead of the release of material non-public information, the Compensation Committee generally grants stock option and other equity awards effective as of the first day of the next open trading window following the meeting at which the grants are approved, which is generally the third NYSE trading day following the filing of our annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the SEC. This practice was followed for all long-term incentive compensation grants to Continuing Named Executives in 2011.

Perquisites

We provide a limited number of perquisites and other personal benefits to our Named Executives. In 2011 our Compensation Committee adopted a perquisite allowance for certain officers, including our Named Executives, in the amount of $20,000. The perquisite allowance was provided in order to cover company-required physicals, financial planning and non-company-required spousal travel.

Additionally, and consistent with our past practice, we may reimburse Named Executives for the travel expenses of a guest accompanying a Named Executive, including the provision of a gross-up for any imputed income, but only when the presence of that guest is related to the underlying business purpose of the trip. We also provide our Named Executives with a tax gross-up on any relocation-related expense reimbursements that may be subject to tax.

Retirement Plans

Thrift Plan.    We provide retirement benefits for most of our U.S. employees, including our Named Executives, through sponsorship of the McDermott Thrift Plan, a qualified defined contribution 401(k) plan, which we refer to as our “Thrift Plan.”

Retirement and Excess Plans.    Some of our longer-term U.S. employees, including Mr. Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs, are entitled to retirement benefits under the McDermott (U.S.) Retirement Plan, the qualified defined benefit pension plan we sponsor, which we refer to as our “Retirement Plan.” The Retirement Plan has been closed to new participants since 2006, and benefit accruals under the Retirement Plan were frozen altogether in 2010.

We also sponsor an unfunded, nonqualified excess retirement plan, which we refer to as our “Excess Plan.” The Excess Plan covers a small group of highly compensated employees, including Mr. Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs, whose ultimate benefits under the Retirement Plan are reduced by Internal Revenue Code limits on the amount of benefits which may be provided under qualified plans and the amount of compensation which may be taken into account in computing benefits under qualified plans. Benefits under the Excess Plan are paid from our general assets. As is the case with the Retirement Plan, benefits under the Excess Plan have been frozen since 2010, and no further benefits are accruing to Ms. Hinrichs or Mr. Nesser under the Excess Plan.

Messrs. Johnson, Elders, and Carlson do not participate in the Retirement Plan or the Excess Plan because their employment with McDermott commenced after new participation in the Retirement Plan was closed. Mr. McCormack does not participate in the Retirement Plan or the Excess Plan because he had not met the applicable eligibility requirements at the time the Retirement Plan was closed to new participants.

See the “Pension Benefits” table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below for more information regarding the Retirement Plan and the Excess Plan.

Deferred Compensation Plan.    The Deferred Compensation Plan is a defined contribution supplemental executive retirement plan established by our Board and the Compensation Committee to help maintain the competitiveness of our post-employment compensation as compared to our market. The Deferred Compensation Plan is an unfunded, nonqualified plan that provides participants with benefits based on the participant’s notional account balance at the time of retirement or termination. Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, on an annual basis the Compensation Committee has the discretion to credit a specified participant’s notional account

with an amount equal to a percentage of the participant’s prior-year base salary and annual bonus paid in the prior year. We refer to such credit as a “Company Contribution.” In 2011, Messrs. Johnson, McCormack and Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs each were participants in the Deferred Compensation Plan and received a Company Contribution in an amount equal to 5% of their respective prior-year base salaries and annual bonuses paid in the prior year. Messrs. Elders and Carlson were also participants and received (1) a Company Contribution in an amount equal to 5% of their respective prior-year base salary paid, and (2) a discretionary contribution equal in value to 5% of their respective target bonuses for 2010 and the value of their respective prior-year target base salaries they would have earned for the period January 1, 2010 through their respective hire dates.

The Compensation Committee has designated deemed mutual fund investments to serve as indices for the purpose of determining notional investment gains and losses to each participant’s account for any Company Contribution or participant elected deferrals. Each participant allocates any Company Contributions and deferrals among the various deemed investments. Deferred Compensation Plan benefits are based on the participant’s vested notional account balance at the time of retirement or termination. Please see the “Nonqualified Deferred Compensation” table and accompanying narrative below for more information about the Deferred Compensation Plan and Company Contributions to our Named Executives’ Deferred Compensation Plan accounts.

Employment and Severance Arrangements

Employment and Separation Agreements.    Except for change-in-control agreements described below, we do not currently have any employment or severance agreements with any of our Continuing Named Executives.

In connection with Mr. Nesser’s retirement, a subsidiary of McDermott entered into a Separation Agreement with Mr. Nesser. Under the terms of the Separation Agreement, Mr. Nesser was entitled to receive various payments and benefits under a Restructuring Transaction Retention Agreement entered into between Mr. Nesser and a subsidiary of McDermott in connection with the Spin-off. These payments and benefits included: (1) a cash payment of two times the sum of Mr. Nesser’s annual base salary and target EICP award; (2) a prorated target EICP award; (3) a cash payment equal to two years

of medical benefits; (4) earned but unused vacation; and (5) full vesting of Mr. Nesser’s outstanding equity awards granted in 2008 and 2009. In addition to those benefits, under the Separation Agreement, Mr. Nesser is treated as if he had continued to be an employee of McDermott for purposes of the vesting of an award of restricted stock units and stock options, which were granted to Mr. Nesser in 2010 and remained unvested as of the date of his Separation Agreement, in accordance with the vesting schedule of those awards.

Additionally, under the Separation Agreement, Mr. Nesser provided general consulting and advisory services to McDermott for a period of six months following his retirement. In consideration of those services, Mr. Nesser received $25,000 per month, as well as reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred by Mr. Nesser in rendering those services. See “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below for more information on the payments made to and benefits received by Mr. Nesser under his Separation Agreement.

Change-in-Control Agreements.    In our experience, change-in-control agreements for certain executive officers are common within our industry, and our Board and Compensation Committee believe that providing these agreements to our Named Executives protects stockholders’ interests by helping to assure management continuity and focus through and beyond a change in control. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee has offered change-in-control agreements to key senior executives since 2005. Our change-in-control agreements generally provide a cash severance payment of two (2.99 for Mr. Johnson) times the sum of the Named Executive’s annual base salary and target EICP and a pro-rated bonus payment under the EICP. In addition, each such officer would become fully vested in any outstanding and unvested equity-based awards and his or her respective account balance in our Deferred Compensation Plan.

Our change-in-control agreements contain what is commonly referred to as a “double trigger,” that is, they provide benefits only upon an involuntary termination or constructive termination of the executive officer within one year following a change in control. In addition, the change-in-control agreements: (1) do not provide for excise tax gross-ups; (2) require the applicable officer’s execution of a release prior to payment of certain benefits; and (3) provide for the potential reduction in payments to an applicable officer in order to avoid excise taxes.

Because he is no longer employed by McDermott, Mr. Nesser no longer has a change-in-control agreement with McDermott. See the “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below and the accompanying disclosures for more information regarding the change-in-control agreements with our Continuing Named Executives, as well as other plans and arrangements that have different trigger mechanisms that relate to a change in control.

Other Compensation Policies

Stock Ownership Guidelines.    To assist with the alignment of the interests of directors, executive officers and stockholders, we believe our directors and officers should have a significant financial stake in McDermott. To further that goal, we have adopted stock ownership guidelines in 2005, as amended effective August 9, 2010 and November 9, 2011, requiring generally that our nonemployee directors and our officers at the level of vice president or above maintain a minimum ownership interest in McDermott. The stock ownership requirements are as follows:

Chief Executive Officer — five times annual base salary;

Executive Officers directly reporting to the Chief Executive Officer — three times annual base salary;

Other Elected Vice Presidents — two times annual base salary; and

Nonemployee Directors — five times annual Board member retainer.

Directors and officers have five years from the effective date of the amended stock ownership guidelines, their initial election as a director/officer, or a change in position which increases the expected ownership level, whichever is later, to comply with

the guidelines. The Governance Committee reviews each director’s and officer’s progress towards the requirements of the stock ownership guidelines annually, and may waive or modify the stock ownership guidelines for directors and officers in the Governance Committee’s sole discretion.

Derivatives Trading and Hedging.    McDermott’s Insider Trading Policy prohibits all directors, officers and employees, including our Continuing Named Executives, from engaging in “short sales” or trading in puts, calls or other options on McDermott’s common stock. Additionally, directors, officers and employees are prohibited from engaging in hedging transactions, and from holding McDermott shares in a margin account or pledging McDermott shares as collateral for a loan.

Clawback Policy.    Our Compensation Committee has adopted a clawback policy under which McDermott would seek to recover any incentive-based award granted to any executive officer as required by the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any other “clawback” provision required by law or the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange.

Additionally, consistent with our recent practice, our grant agreements for awards made in 2011 contain a forfeiture provision. In 2011, this provision provided that in the event that, while the grantee is employed by McDermott or performing services on behalf of McDermott under any consulting agreement, the grantee is convicted of a misdemeanor involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude or a felony, or the grantee engages in conduct that adversely affects or, in the sole judgment of the Compensation Committee, may reasonably be expected to adversely affect, the business reputation or economic interests of the Company, then all rights and benefits awarded under the respective agreements are immediately forfeited, terminated and withdrawn.

2011 PEER GROUPS

Proxy Peer Group:

Baker Hughes Incorporated

FMC Technologies, Inc.National Oilwell Varco, Inc.

Cal Dive International, Inc.

Global Industries Ltd. 1Noble Corporation

Cameron International Corporation

Halliburton CompanyOceaneering International, Inc.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.Oil States International, Inc.

Dresser-Rand Group, Inc.

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.Shaw Group, Inc.

Foster Wheeler AG

KBR, Inc.Tidewater Inc.
Survey Peer Group:

Ameron International Corporation

Fluor CorporationOwens Corning

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber CompanyOwens-Illinois, Inc.

A.O. Smith Corporation

Graco Inc.Parker Hannifin Corporation

Ball Corporation

Greif, Inc.Parsons Corporation

Barnes Group, Inc.

HD Supply, Inc.Pittsburgh Corning Corporation

Beam, Inc.

Herman Miller, Inc.Polymer Group, Inc.

Bemis Company, Inc.

Hess CorporationPolyOne Corporation

BG US Services

HNTB CorporationPulteGroup, Inc.

Bovis Lend Lease International Ltd.

Holcim Ltd.Saudi Arabian Oil Co.

BP p.l.c.

Hunt Consolidated, Inc.SCA Americas, Inc.

Brady Corporation

Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.Schlumberger Limited

Building Materials Corporation of America

Illinois Tool Works Inc.Sealed Air Corp.

Calgon Carbon Corporation

Ingersoll Rand plcShell Oil Company

Cameron International Corporation

ION Geophysical CorporationSimpson Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Caterpillar Inc.

Irving Oil Commercial G.P.Sonoco Products Co.

Cemex Internacional S.A de C.V.

ITT CorporationSpectra Energy Corp

Chevron Corporation

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.SPX Corporation

CH2M Hill Companies, Ltd.

KBR, Inc.Stantec Inc.

Cimarex Energy Co.

Key Energy Services, Inc.Sunoco, Inc.

Connell Limited Partnership

Koch Industries, Inc.Swagelok Company

ConocoPhillips

Lafarge North America Inc.Terex Corporation

Cooper Industries plc

L.B. Foster CompanyTesoro Corporation

Corning Incorporated

Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.Textron Inc.

DCP Midstream LLC

MAG Industrial Automation Systems LLCThermadyne Industries, Inc.

Deere & Company

The Manitowoc Company, Inc.Thomas & Betts Corporation

Devon Energy Corporation

Marathon Oil Corporation3M Company

Donaldson Company, Inc.

Matthews International CorporationThe Timken Company

Eaton Corporation

MeadWestvaco CorporationThe Toro Company

EMCOR Group, Inc.

Milacron LLCTrinity Industries, Inc.

Exterran Holdings, Inc.

Mine Safety Appliances CompanyUnifi, Inc.

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Murphy Oil CorporationUSG Corporation

Ferrovial, S.A.

MWH Global, Inc.Valero Energy Corporation

Flowserve Corporation

Occidental Petroleum CorporationWatts Water Technologies, Inc.

1 Global Industries Ltd. was acquired by Technip S.A. in December 2011.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

We have reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with McDermott’s management and, based on our review and discussions, we recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

Thomas C. Schievelbein, Chairman

Roger A. Brown

Mary L. Shafer-Malicki

David A. Trice

COMPENSATIONOF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table summarizes the prior three years’ compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, our three highest paid executive officers who did not serve as our CEO and CFO during 2011 and were employed by McDermott as of December 31, 2011, and Mr. Nesser, who would have been one of our three highest paid executive officers but for the fact that he was not employed by McDermott as of December 31, 2011. We refer to these persons as our Named Executives. No compensation information is provided for Mr. Elders for 2009 because he joined our company in 2010, and no information is provided for Mr. Carlson or Ms. Hinrichs for 2009 because they did not become Named Executives until 2010 or for Mr. McCormack for 2009 or 2010 because he did not become a Named Executive until 2011.

SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

Name and Principal
Position
 Year  Salary  Bonus  

Stock

Awards(1)

  

Option

Awards(1)

  

Non-Equity

Incentive Plan

Compensation(2)

  

Change in

Pension

Value and

Nonqualified

Deferred

Compensation

Earnings(3)

  

All Other

Compensation(4)

  Total 

S.M. Johnson

President and Chief

Executive Officer

  2011   $942,500   $0   $3,382,092   $944,089   $0    N/A   $132,099   $5,400,780  
  2010   $827,083   $0   $2,672,142   $865,313   $1,218,863    N/A   $163,683   $5,747,084  
  2009   $562,500   $0   $2,664,402   $1,435,394   $1,131,563    N/A   $83,929   $5,877,788  

P.L. Elders

  2011   $481,250   $0   $845,428   $236,000   $0    N/A   $76,763   $1,639,441  

Senior Vice President

and Chief Financial

Officer

  2010   $315,114   $0   $517,021   $396,788   $398,146    N/A   $14,059   $1,641,128  
  2009    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A  

G.L. Carlson

Senior Vice President

and Chief

Administration Officer

  2011   $332,000   $0   $354,863   $94,406   $0    N/A   $120,619   $901,888  
  2010   $243,333   $0   $527,051   $165,771   $334,400    N/A   $106,850   $1,377,405  
  2009    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A  

L.K. Hinrichs

Senior Vice President,

General Counsel and

Corporate Secretary

  2011   $435,575   $0   $792,653   $212,421   $0   $76,760   $77,550   $1,594,959  
  2010   $419,225   $0   $1,054,526   $276,912   $317,673   $121,620   $37,286   $2,227,242  
  2009    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A  

J.T. McCormack

Executive Vice

President, Chief

Operating Officer

  2011   $447,381   $0   $915,194   $253,847   $0    N/A   $70,870   $1,687,292  
  2010    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A  
  2009    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A    N/A  

J.T. Nesser

Former Executive

Vice President, Chief

Operating Officer

  2011   $296,828   $0   $0   $0   $206,408   $163,357   $2,034,893   $2,701,486  
  2010   $509,381   $0   $1,196,240   $224,998   $609,729   $160,951   $43,383   $2,744,682  
  2009   $500,000   $0   $418,899   $235,945   $595,000   $155,330   $93,156   $1,998,330  

(1)The amounts reported in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of stock awards or option awards, as applicable, granted to each Named Executive and computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table for more information regarding the stock awards and option awards we granted in 2011.
(2)The amounts reported in this column are attributable to the annual incentive awards earned in fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011, but paid in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. The amount reported for Mr. Nesser is his 2011 target EICP award, prorated to take into account his length of service in 2011. See the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table for more information regarding the annual incentive awards earned in 2011.
(3)The amounts reported in this column represent the changes in actuarial present values of the accumulated benefits under defined benefit plans, determined by comparing the prior completed fiscal year end amount to the covered fiscal year end amount.

(4)The amounts reported in this column for 2011 are attributable to the following:

All Other Compensation

   

Deferred

Compensation Plan

Contribution(A)

  Thrift  Match(B)  Service-Based
Thrift
Contribution(B)
  Perquisites(C)  Tax
Gross-Ups(D)
  Other(E) 

S. M. Johnson

 $97,932   $6,817   $7,350   $20,000          

P. L. Elders

 $39,950   $7,350   $7,350   $20,000       $2,113  

G. L. Carlson

 $24,800   $6,030   $7,350   $68,606   $11,720   $2,113  

L. K. Hinrichs

 $43,511   $6,689   $7,350   $20,000          

J. T. McCormack

 $36,170   $7,350   $7,350   $20,000          

J. T. Nesser

 $55,219   $6,608   $7,350   $21,525       $1,944,191  

(A)The amounts reported in this column are attributable to contributions made by McDermott under the Deferred Compensation Plan.
(B)The amounts reported in these columns are attributable to contributions made under our defined contribution plan, which we refer to as our Thrift Plan.
(C)The amounts reported in this column are attributable to a lump-sum perquisite allowance in the amount of $20,000 received by certain officers of McDermott in 2011, including each of the Named Executives. With the exception of an executive physical required by McDermott, the perquisite allowance was permitted to be used for any purpose determined by the recipient. Additionally, the amount reported for Mr. Carlson includes $48,606 attributable to the costs of providing him relocation assistance in connection with his move from Colorado to Texas. The amount reported for Mr. Nesser includes a gift in connection with his retirement from McDermott.
(D)The amount reported in this column for Mr. Carlson is attributable to tax gross-ups associated with income imputed to him as a result of amounts we paid to Mr. Carlson by reason of expenses he incurred in connection with his relocation.
(E)The amounts reported in this column for Messrs. Elders and Carlson are attributable to the cost to McDermott for the Named Executive’s spouse to accompany the Named Executive, at McDermott’s request, to attend the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Panama City, Panama. The amount reported in this column for Mr. Nesser is attributable to: (1) payments made pursuant to Mr. Nesser’s Separation Agreement consisting of (a) a cash severance payment in the amount of $1,742,527, (b) two times the full annual cost of coverage for medical, dental and vision benefits in the amount of $35,127, (c) unused vacation for 2011 in the amount of $39,424 and (d) consulting fees in the amount of $125,000; and (2) the cost to McDermott for Mr. Nesser’s spouse to accompany him, at McDermott’s request, to attend the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Panama City, Panama in the amount of $2,113. For more information regarding Mr. Nesser’s Separation Agreement, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Employment and Severance Arrangements — Employment and Separation Agreements” above.

GRANTSOF PLAN-BASED AWARDS

The following Grants of Plan-Based Awards table provides additional information about stock awards and equity and non-equity incentive plan awards we granted to our Named Executives during the year ended December 31, 2011.

Name

 Grant Date  Committee
Action
Date
  Estimated Possible Payouts Under
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(1)
 Estimated Future Payouts Under
Equity Incentive Plan Awards(2)
 

All Other

Stock
Awards:
Number of
Shares of

Stock

or Units(3)

 All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options(4)
 Exercise
or Base
Price of
Option
Awards
 Grant Date
Fair Value
of Stock and
Option
Awards(5)
 
   Threshold Target Maximum Threshold
(#)
 

Target

(#)

 Maximum
(#)
    

S.M. Johnson

            

EICP

  02/28/11    02/28/11   $115,469 $942,603 $1,885,205          

PShares

  03/04/11    02/28/11      28,265 56,529 113,058    $2,382,132  

RSUs

  03/04/11    02/28/11         39,000   $999,960  

Stock Options

  03/04/11    02/28/11          98,133 $25.64 $944,089  

P.L. Elders

            

EICP

  02/28/11    02/28/11   $41,272 $336,911 $673,822          

PShares

  03/04/11    02/28/11      7,065 14,130 28,260    $595,438  

RSUs

  03/04/11    02/28/11         9,750   $249,990  

Stock Options

  03/04/11    02/28/11          24,531 $25.64 $236,000  

G.L. Carlson

            

EICP

  02/28/11    02/28/11   $24,406 $199,233 $398,466          

PShares

  03/04/11    02/28/11      2,826 5,652 11,304    $238,175  

RSUs

  03/04/11    02/28/11         4,551   $116,688  

Stock Options

  03/04/11    02/28/11          9,813 $25.64 $94,406  

L.K. Hinrichs

            

EICP

  02/28/11    02/28/11   $32,019 $261,381 $522,763          

PShares

  03/04/11    02/28/11      6,359 12,717 25,434    $535,894  

RSUs

  03/04/11    02/28/11         10,014   $256,759  

Stock Options

  03/04/11    02/28/11          22,080 $25.64 $212,421  

J.T. McCormack

            

EICP

  02/28/11    02/28/11   $33,632 $274,549 $549,098          

PShares

  03/04/11    02/28/11      3,285 6,570 13,140    $276,860  

RSUs

  03/04/11    02/28/11         4,533   $116,226  

Stock Options

  03/04/11    02/28/11          11,406 $25.64 $109,731  

PShares

  05/13/11    05/06/11      5,637 11,274 22,548    $357,160  

RSUs

  05/13/11    05/06/11         8,058   $164,947  

Stock Options

  05/13/11    05/06/11          18,312 $20.47 $144,115  

J.T. Nesser

            

EICP

  02/28/11    02/28/11   $43,948 $358,756 $717,511          

(1)This column reflects the threshold, target and maximum payout opportunities under the Executive Incentive Compensation Plan, or EICP. For 2011, the EICP awards were based 70% on the attainment of financial goals and 30% on the attainment of individual goals. The 70% financial component was based 70% on consolidated operating income and 30% on consolidated return on invested capital. The financial goals contain threshold, target and maximum performance levels which, if achieved, result in payments of 25%, 100% and 200% of the financial component, respectively. The threshold payout amount provided was determined based on achieving the consolidated operating income threshold (or 12.25% of the target amounts shown), which, if not achieved, would result in no amounts being paid on an EICP award.

On February 28, 2011, our Compensation Committee established target EICP awards expressed as a percentage of the Named Executive’s 2011 annual base salary earned, as follows: Mr. Johnson — 100%, Mr. Elders — 70%, Mr. Carlson — 60%, Ms. Hinrichs — 60%, Mr. McCormack — 50% and Mr. Nesser — 70%. With the exception of Mr. McCormack, the target amounts shown were computed according to the following formula: Target % * [(2010 base salary * 90/365) + (2011 base salary * 275/365)]. In connection with Mr. McCormack’s June 30, 2011 promotion to EVP, COO, on May 6, 2011 our Compensation Committee approved an increase in target EICP award for Mr. McCormack from 50% to 70% effective and for the period beginning June 30, 2011. Accordingly, the amount shown in Mr. McCormack’s target column reflects his target EICP award under his former and current positions, prorated based on the length of service in each position. The target amount shown for Mr. McCormack was computed according to the following formula: SVP Target % * [(2010 base salary * 90/365) + (2011 SVP base salary * 90/365)] + EVP, COO Target % * (2011 EVP, COO base salary * 185/365). The actual EICP payouts for the Named Executives for 2011 are provided in the Summary Compensation Table in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column.

(2)

This column reflects the target, threshold and maximum payout opportunities of grants of performance shares under the 2009 LTIP. Each grant represents the right to receive one share of McDermott common stock for each vested performance share. The amount of performance shares that vest, if any, is scheduled to initially be determined on December 31, 2013 based on our total shareholder return relative to the Proxy Peer Group during the same period, with subsequent measurements of total shareholder return relative to the Proxy Peer Group on December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015. The amounts shown in the “threshold” column represent the number of performance shares that will vest, which is 50% of the amount granted, and the amounts shown in the “maximum” column represent the number of performance shares that will vest, which is 200% of the amount granted, based on our total shareholder return relative to the Proxy Peer Group. The maximum number of performance shares which will vest based on performance through December 31, 2013 is 150% of the amount granted if our total shareholder return ranks in the 75th percentile or higher relative to the Proxy Peer Group. A maximum of 200% of the amount of performance shares granted may vest based on performance through December 31, 2014 and 2015, less any amount previously vested. The following table provides the measurement periods, total shareholder return percentile rank and corresponding vesting percentage of the amount of performance shares granted:

Measurement PeriodTotal Shareholder Return
Percentile Rank
Vesting Percentage of
Performance Shares  Granted

36 Months Ending December 31, 2013

³90th Percentile

     75th Percentile

     50th Percentile

     25th Percentile

< 25th Percentile

150%

150%

100%

50%

0%

48 Months Ending December 31, 2014

³90th Percentile

     75th Percentile

     50th Percentile

     25th Percentile

< 25th Percentile

200%*

150%*

100%*

50%*

0%*

60 Months Ending December 31, 2015

³90th Percentile

     75th Percentile

     50th Percentile

     25th Percentile

< 25th Percentile

200%*

150%*

100%*

50%*

0%*

*Lessany amounts vested through prior measurement periods.

(3)This column reflects grants of restricted stock units under the 2009 LTIP. Each restricted stock unit represents the right to receive one share of McDermott common stock and is generally scheduled to vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant. Upon vesting, the restricted stock units are converted into shares of McDermott common stock.

(4)This column reflects grants of stock options under the 2009 LTIP. Each grant represents the right to purchase at the exercise price shares of McDermott common stock over a period of seven years. The stock options are generally scheduled to vest and become exercisable in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant.

(5)This column reflects the full grant date fair values of the equity awards computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Grant date fair values are determined using the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant for restricted stock units, a Monte Carlo simulation model for performance shares, and the Black-Scholes option pricing model for stock options. The Monte Carlo simulation model for performance shares and the Black-Scholes option pricing model for stock options each requires various assumptions, including but not limited to the expected life of the award and stock return and stock price volatility. For more information regarding the compensation expense related to 2011 awards, and a discussion of valuation assumptions utilized in performance share and option pricing, see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDSAT FISCAL YEAR-END

The following Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End table summarizes the largest amountequity awards we have made to our Named Executives which were outstanding as of operatingDecember 31, 2011.

     Option Awards(1)  Stock Awards 
Name Grant
Date
  

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options

Exercisable

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
 

Option

Exercise
Price

  Option
Expiration
Date
  Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock
That Have
Not
Vested(2)
  Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock
That
Have Not
Vested(4)
  

Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,

Units or
Other

Rights That
Have

Not Vested(5)

  

Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Market

or Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,

Units or
Other

Rights That
Have

Not Vested(4)

 

S.M. Johnson

          

Stock Options

  05/14/09    170,496    85,248    $9.36    05/14/16      

Stock Options

  03/04/10    47,199    94,398    $13.09    03/04/17      

Stock Options

  03/04/11        98,133    $25.64    03/04/18      

RSU

  05/14/09         60,075   $691,463          

RSU(3)

  05/14/09         104,302   $1,200,516          

RSU

  03/04/10         63,663   $732,761        ���  

RSU

  03/04/11         39,000   $448,890          

Performance Shares

  03/04/11                 28,265   $325,330  

P.L. Elders

          

Stock Options

  05/13/10    20,097    40,195    $13.37    05/13/17      

Stock Options

  03/04/11        24,531    $25.64    03/04/18      

RSU

  05/13/10         25,774   $296,659          

RSU

  03/04/11         9,750   $112,223          

Performance Shares

  03/04/11                 7,065   $81,318  

G.L. Carlson

          

Stock Options

  05/13/10    8,396    16,793    $13.37    03/29/17      

Stock Options

  03/04/11        9,813    $25.64    03/04/18      

RSU

  05/13/10         26,274   $302,414          

RSU

  03/04/11         4,551   $52,382          

Performance Shares

                2,826   $32,527  

L.K. Hinrichs

          

Stock Options

  03/05/09        27,203    $5.64    03/05/16      

Stock Options

  03/04/10    15,104    30,209    $13.09    03/04/17      

Stock Options

  03/04/11        22,080    $25.64    03/04/18      

RSU

  03/05/09         19,169   $220,635          

RSU(3)

  03/05/09         33,283   $383,087          

RSU

  03/04/10         20,371   $234,470          

RSU

  03/04/11         10,014   $115,261          

Performance Shares

  03/04/11                 6,359   $73,192  

J.T. McCormack

          

Stock Options

  03/05/09        14,155    $5.64    03/05/16      

Stock Options

  03/04/10  �� 8,518    17,037    $13.09    03/04/17      

Stock Options

  03/04/11        11,406    $25.64    03/04/18      

Stock Options

  05/13/11        18,312    $20.47    05/13/18      

RSU

  03/05/09         9,974   $114,800          

RSU(3)

  03/05/09         17,316   $199,307          

RSU

  03/04/10         11,490   $132,250          

RSU

  03/04/11         4,533   $52,175          

Performance Shares

  03/04/11                 3,285   $37,810  

RSU

  05/13/11         8,058   $92,748          

Performance Shares

  05/13/11                 5,637   $64,882  

J.T. Nesser

          

Stock Options

  03/05/09    45,172        $5.64    03/05/16      

Stock Options

  03/04/10    12,273    24,545    $13.09    03/04/17      

RSU

  03/04/10         16,184   $186,278          

(1)The awards in this column represent grants of stock options, which generally become exercisable in accordance with the following vesting schedule:

Grant DateVesting Schedule:

03/05/09

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/14/09

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

03/04/10

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/13/10

Mr. Elders: 1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/13/10

Mr. Carlson: 1/3 per year on March 29, 2011, 2012 and 2013 (the first, second and third anniversaries of Mr. Carlson’s hire date)

03/04/11

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/13/11

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

(2)The awards in this column represent grants of restricted stock units, which, with the exception of those grants of restricted stock units discussed in Note (3) below, generally vest in accordance with the following vesting schedule:

Grant DateVesting Schedule:

03/05/09

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/14/09

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

03/04/10

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/13/10

Mr. Elders: 1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/13/10

Mr. Carlson: 1/3 per year on March 29, 2011, 2012 and 2013 (the first, second and third anniversaries of Mr. Carlson’s hire date)

03/04/11

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

05/13/11

1/3 per year on first, second and third anniversaries of grant date

(3)The grant of restricted stock units was converted from an original grant of performance shares in connection with the Spin-off and generally vests 100% on the third anniversary of the grant date.

(4)Market values in these columns are based on the closing price of our common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange as of December 30, 2011 ($11.51).

(5)The awards in this column represent grants of performance shares, which generally may vest on the third, fourth and/or fifth anniversaries of the grant date based on the attainment of performance levels as of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The number and value of performance shares reported is based on achieving threshold performance as of the December 31, 2013 measurement date.

OPTION EXERCISESAND STOCK VESTED

The following Option Exercises and Stock Vested table provides information about the value realized by our Named Executives on exercises of option awards and vesting of stock awards during the year ended December 31, 2011.

   Option Awards(1)   Stock Awards(2) 
Name  

Shares

Acquired

on Exercise (#)

   

Value Realized

on Exercise

   

Shares

Acquired

on Vesting (#)

   

Value Realized

on Vesting

 

S. M. Johnson

   0     N/A     205,316    $4,333,356  

P. L. Elders

   0     N/A     12,887    $263,797  

G. L. Carlson

   0     N/A     13,137    $327,374  

L. K. Hinrichs

   27,202    $526,200     119,901    $2,679,780  

J. T. McCormack

   14,154    $273,959     29,822    $762,999  

J. T. Nesser

   0     N/A     85,423    $2,036,053  

(1)Each stock option exercise reported was effected as a simultaneous exercise and sale. The value realized on exercise was calculated based on the difference between the exercise prices of the stock options and the prices at which the shares were sold.

(2)The number of shares acquired on vesting reported represents the aggregate number of shares that vested during 2011 in connection with awards of restricted stock and restricted stock units. The value realized on vesting was calculated based on the fair market value of the underlying shares on the vesting date. The following table sets forth the amounts of shares attributable to restricted stock and restricted stock units for each Named Executive and the value realized on vesting of each respective type of award, as well as the number of shares withheld by McDermott to satisfy the minimum statutory withholding tax due upon vesting:

   Restricted Stock   Restricted Stock Units     
Name  Shares
Acquired
on Vesting (#)
   Value Realized
on Vesting
   Shares
Acquired
on Vesting (#)
   Value Realized
on Vesting
   Shares Acquired by McDermott
on Vesting of Stock Awards (#)
 

S. M. Johnson

   113,412    $2,287,520     91,904    $2,045,836     71,653  

P. L. Elders

   0     N/A     12,887    $263,797     3,408  

G. L. Carlson

   0     N/A     13,137    $327,374     3,474  

L. K. Hinrichs

   62,231    $1,204,301     57,670    $1,475,479     39,842  

J. T. McCormack

   1,196    $30,354     28,626    $732,645     7,957  

J. T. Nesser

   8,405    $192,972     77,018    $1,843,081     27,253  

PENSION BENEFITS

The following Pension Benefits table shows the present value of accumulated benefits payable to each of our Named Executives under the qualified defined benefit pension plan (referred to as the Retirement Plan) and nonqualified pension plan (referred to as the Excess Plan) that we sponsor.

Name Plan Name  Number of
Years Credited
Service
   Present Value of
Accumulated Benefit(1)
   Payments
During 2011
 

S. M. Johnson

 N/A   N/A     N/A     N/A  
 

N/A

   N/A     N/A     N/A  

P. L. Elders

 N/A   N/A     N/A     N/A  
 

N/A

   N/A     N/A     N/A  

G. L. Carlson

 N/A   N/A     N/A     N/A  
 

N/A

   N/A     N/A     N/A  

L. K. Hinrichs

 McDermott Retirement Plan   11.167    $369,359    $0  
 

McDermott Excess Plan

   11.167    $154,621    $0  

J. T. McCormack

 N/A   N/A     N/A     N/A  
 

N/A

   N/A     N/A     N/A  

J. T. Nesser

 McDermott Retirement Plan   11.75    $468,199    $0  
 

McDermott Excess Plan

   11.75    $527,248    $0
  

(1)The present value of accumulated benefits reflected above is based on a 4.8% discount rate and the IRS static table for valuation years beginning in 2012.

Overview of Qualified Plan.    The Retirement Plan is funded by a trust and covers eligible employees of McDermott and its subsidiaries, as described below in the section entitled “Participation and Eligibility.” Nonresident alien employees who do not earn income in any three-year period sincethe United States and temporary resident alien employees are not eligible to participate in the Retirement Plan. In reviewing pension benefits payable to our Named Executives, it is important to note:

Of the Named Executives, only Ms. Hinrichs and Mr. Nesser participate in the Retirement Plan; and

As of 2006, all new participation in the Retirement Plan was closed, and benefit accruals under the Retirement Plan were frozen for all participants, including Ms. Hinrichs and Mr. Nesser, as of June 30, 2010.

For more information on our retirement plans, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Retirement Plans.”

Participation and Eligibility.    The Retirement Plan includes provisions related to eligibility, participation and benefit formulas for employees who were employed by McDermott’s subsidiary J. Ray

McDermott Holdings, LLC and other designated affiliates thereof (collectively, the “JRM Coverage Group”), as well as for employees who were employed by McDermott Incorporated (now known as McDermott Investments, LLC) (collectively, the “MI Coverage Group”) and certain former salaried employees of a subsidiary of The Babcock & Wilcox Company who transferred to employment with McDermott Incorporated (collectively, “Former B&W Coverage Group”).

Generally, employees of participating employers who met a one-year service requirement were eligible to participate in the Retirement Plan, subject to the following:

For the MI Coverage Group (which includes Ms. Hinrichs and Mr. Nesser):

New participation in the Retirement Plan was acquiredclosed effective April 1, 2006.

For participants with less than five years of service as of March 31, 2006 — Benefit accruals under the Retirement Plan were frozen as of that date, but cost-of-living increases continued to be paid, as discussed further below. Affected employees received service- based employer cash contributions to their Thrift Plan accounts. On June 30,

2010, the provision of the cost-of-living increase under the Retirement Plan was terminated, and, for affected participants, the Thrift Plan service-based contribution was replaced by a cash contribution equal to 3% of base pay, plus overtime pay, expatriate pay and commissions, which we refer to collectively as “thriftable earnings.”

For participants with more than five but less than ten years of service as of January 1, 2007 (which includes Mr. Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs) — A one-time irrevocable choice was offered to (1) continue benefit accruals under the Retirement Plan, or (2) freeze benefit accruals as of March 31, 2007, subject to annual cost-of-living increases, and receive instead service-based employer cash contributions to their Thrift Plan accounts. As of June 30, 2010, benefit accruals under the Retirement Plan were frozen altogether, and in lieu of any service-based cash contributions, affected participants now receive a cash contribution to their Thrift Plan accounts equal to 3% of thriftable earnings.

With respect to the cost-of-living increase, frozen accrued benefits of affected employees increased annually in line with increases in the Consumer Price Index, up to a maximum of 8% and a minimum of 1%, for each year the employee remained employed. As of June 30, 2010, the provision of the cost-of-living increase under the Retirement Plan was terminated, and the accrued benefits under the Retirement Plan were frozen altogether.

For the JRM Coverage Group (which includes Mr. McCormack), new participation was closed and benefit accruals were frozen effective April 1, 2003, with no cost-of-living allowance. Mr. McCormack did not meet the Plan’s one-year service requirement for eligibility to participate in the Retirement Plan prior to the participation closure for the JRM Coverage Group.

No Named Executives are included in the Former B&W Coverage Group.

Benefits.    Mr. Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs are the only Named Executives entitled to benefits under the Retirement Plan. Their benefits are calculated as follows: 1.2% of final average monthly compensation as of June 30, 2010 up to the Social Security limit times credited service up to 35 years, plus 1.65% of final average monthly compensation as of June 30, 2010 in excess of the Social Security limit times credited service up to 35 years. Final average monthly compensation excludes bonuses and commissions.

Retirement and Early Retirement.    Under the Retirement Plan, normal retirement is age 65. The normal form of payment is a single-life annuity or a 50% joint and survivor annuity, depending on the employee’s marital status when payments are scheduled to begin. Early retirement eligibility and benefits under the Retirement Plan depend on the employee’s date of hire and age.

For employees hired on or after April 1, 1998 (including Mr. Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs):

an employee is eligible for early retirement after completing at least 15 years of credited service and attaining the age of 55; and

early retirement benefits are based on the same formula as normal retirement, but the pension benefit is generally reduced 0.4% for each month that benefits commence before age 62.

Ms. Hinrichs has not accrued enough credited service to be eligible for early retirement under the Retirement Plan. At Mr. Nesser’s resignation from employment with McDermott on July 29, 2011, he had not accrued enough credited service to be eligible for early retirement under the Retirement Plan.

Overview of Nonqualified Plan.    To the extent benefits payable under the Retirement Plan are limited by Section 415(b) or 401(a)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code, pension benefits will be paid directly by the applicable subsidiary of McDermott under the terms of the unfunded excess benefit plan maintained by McDermott (referred to as the “Excess Plan”). Effective January 1, 2006, the Excess Plan was amended to limit the annual bonus payments taken into account in 1978.calculating the Excess Plan benefits to the lesser of the actual bonus paid or 25% of the prior

year’s base salary. Furthermore, because benefits entitlement under the Excess Plan and the Retirement Plan are linked, benefits under the Excess Plan have been frozen since 2006 when benefit accruals under the Retirement Plan were frozen.

Mr. Nesser and Ms. Hinrichs each participate in the Excess Plan. Based on Mr. Nesser’s age and accrued service at his resignation from employment, he will not be entitled to commence benefit payments under the Excess Plan until normal retirement under the Retirement Plan.

NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION

The following Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table summarizes our Named Executives’ compensation under the McDermott International, Inc. Director and Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”). The compensation shown in this table is entirely attributable to the Deferred Compensation Plan.

The Deferred Compensation Plan is an unfunded, defined contribution retirement plan for directors and officers of McDermott and its subsidiaries selected to participate by our Compensation Committee. Benefits under the Deferred Compensa-

tion Plan are based on (1) the participant’s deferral account, which is comprised of the notional account balance reflecting any executive contributions of deferred compensation, and (2) the participant’s vested percentage in his or her company account, which is comprised of the notional account balance reflecting any company contributions. A participant is at all times 100% vested in his or her deferral account. A participant generally vests in his or her company account 20% each year, subject to accelerated vesting for death, disability and termination without cause or termination within 24 months following a change in control.

Name Executive
Contributions  in
2011(1)
  Company
Contributions  in
2011(2)
  Aggregate
Earnings
in  2011(3)
  

Aggregate
Withdrawals/

Distributions

  Aggregate
Balance
at  12/31/11(4)
 

S. M. Johnson

 $0   $97,932   ($9,651 $0   $164,908  

P. L. Elders

 $0   $39,950    $796   $0   $40,746  

G. L. Carlson

 $0   $24,800   ($286 $0   $24,514  

L. K. Hinrichs

 $0   $43,511    $0.00   $0   $134,570  

J. T. McCormack

 $0   $36,170    $1,383   $0   $37,553  

J. T. Nesser

 $0   $55,219   ($34,873 $0   $766,375  

(1)In November 2010, our Compensation Committee approved the deferral of eligible executives’ compensation beginning January 1, 2011. Under the terms of our Deferred Compensation Plan, an eligible executive may defer up to 50% of his or her annual salary and/or up to 100% of any bonus earned in any year.

(2)We make annual contributions to specified participants’ notional accounts equal to a percentage of the participant’s prior-year compensation. Under the terms of the Deferred Compensation Plan, the contribution percentage does not need to be the same for each participant. Additionally, our Compensation Committee may make a discretionary contribution to a participant’s account at any time. With the exception of Messrs. Elders and Carlson, for 2011, our contributions on behalf of Named Executives who were participants equaled 5% of the respective Named Executives’ base salaries and annual incentive compensation awards paid in 2010. Messrs. Elders and Carlson received a Company Contribution in an amount equal to 5% of their respective prior-year base salary paid. In addition, Messrs. Elders and Carlson received a discretionary contribution equal in value to 5% of their respective target bonus for 2010 and the value of their respective prior-year target base salaries they would have earned for the period January 1, 2010 through their respective hire dates. All of our 2011 contributions are included in the Summary Compensation Table above as “All Other Compensation.”

(3)The amounts reported in this column represent hypothetical accrued gains or losses during 2011 on each Named Executive’s account. The accounts are “participant-directed,” in that each participant personally directs the investment of contributions made on his or her behalf. As a result, any accrued gains or losses are attributable to the performance of the Named Executive’s notional mutual fund investments. No amount of the earnings shown is reported as compensation in the Summary Compensation Table.

(4)The amounts reported in this column consist of contributions made by McDermott and hypothetical accrued gains or losses as of December 31, 2011. The balances shown include contributions from previous years which have been reported as compensation to the Named Executives in the Summary Compensation Table for those years — to the extent a Named Executive was included in the Summary Compensation Table during those years. The amounts of such contributions previously included in the Summary Compensation Table and years reported are as follows: Mr. Johnson received a contribution from McDermott of $69,375 in 2010; Ms. Hinrichs received a contribution from McDermott of $29,549 in 2010; and Mr. Nesser received contributions from McDermott of $36,806, $55,104 and $44,926 in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

As of December 31, 2011, Messrs. Johnson, Elders, Carlson and McCormack are 20% vested in their respective Deferred Compensation Plan balances shown as a result our Named Executives earned payments atof becoming participants in the maximum level under performance shares granted in 2006 and whichDeferred Compensation Plan during 2011. Mr. Nesser is 100% vested in 2009. Mosthis Deferred Compensation Plan balance shown.

In May 2009, our Compensation Committee amended the Deferred Compensation Plan to vest Deferred Compensation Plan balances that were unvested as of December 31, 2008 (including future gains and losses thereon). Amounts allocated on or after January 1, 2009 vest pursuant to the participant’s vested percentage, based on years of participation. Accordingly, Ms. Hinrichs is 84.38% vested in her Deferred Compensation Plan balance shown.

POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATIONOR CHANGEIN CONTROL

The following tables show potential payments to certain of our Named Executives under existing contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements, whether written or unwritten, for various scenarios under which a payment would be due (assuming each is applicable) involving a change in control or termination of employment of each of our Named Executives, assuming a December 31, 2011 termination date and, where applicable, using the closing price of our common stock of $11.51 (as reported on the New York Stock Exchange) as of December 30, 2011. These tables do not reflect amounts that would be payable to the Named Executives pursuant to benefits or awards that are already vested.

The amounts reported in the below tables for stock options, restricted stock units and performance shares represent the value of unvested and accelerated shares or units, as applicable, calculated by:

for stock options: multiplying the number of accelerated options by the difference between the exercise price and $11.51 (the closing price of our common stock on December 30, 2011, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange); and

for restricted stock units and performance shares: multiplying the number of accelerated shares or units by $11.51 (the closing price of our common stock on December 30, 2011, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange).

Mr. Nesser retired from McDermott on July 29, 2011. In connection with his retirement, a subsidiary of McDermott entered into a Separation Agreement with Mr. Nesser. Under the terms of the Separation Agreement, Mr. Nesser was entitled to receive the payments and benefits detailed in Section 1 of the Restructuring Transaction Retention Agreement entered into between Mr. Nesser and a subsidiary of McDermott in connection with the Spin-off. These payments and benefits included: (1) a cash severance payment in the amount of $1,742,527, (2) payment of his 2011 target EICP award, prorated to take into account his length of service in 2011, in the amount of $206,408, (3) two times the full annual cost of coverage for medical, dental and vision benefits in the amount of $35,127, (4) unused vacation for 2011 in the amount of $39,424, (5) the value of unvested and accelerated stock options in the amount of $328,174, and (6) the value of unvested and accelerated restricted stock and restricted stock units in the amount of $547,034. Pursuant to the terms of his Separation Agreement, Mr. Nesser will also continue to vest in 24,545 stock options and 16,553 restricted stock units as if he had remained employed by McDermott through March 4, 2013. The value of the stock options and restricted stock units, less a number of restricted stock units that were also eligibleforfeited in connection with the payment of certain taxes, will be determined on March 4, 2012 and March 4, 2013. In addition, Mr. Nesser received $25,000 per month for the performance of consulting services as set forth in his Separation Agreement. As of December 31, 2011, Mr. Nesser had received $125,000 for the provision of these consulting services.

Estimated Value of Benefits to earnBe Received Upon Termination Due to Death or Disability

The following table shows the maximum payoutvalue of payments and other benefits due the Continuing Named Executives assuming their death or disability as of December 31, 2011.

   S.M. Johnson  P.L. Elders  G.L. Carlson  L.K. Hinrichs  J.T. McCormack 

Severance Payments

                    

EICP

                    

Deferred Compensation Plan(1)

 $131,926   $32,597   $19,611   $21,020   $30,042  

Stock Options(2) (unvested and accelerated)

 $0   $0   $0   $0   $0  

Restricted Stock Units(3) (unvested and accelerated)

 $3,073,630   $408,881   $354,796   $953,454   $591,280  

Performance Shares(4) (unvested)

 $650,649   $162,636   $65,055   $146,373   $205,384  

Total

 $3,856,205   $604,114   $439,462   $1,120,847   $826,706  

(1)The amounts reported represent 80% of Messrs. Johnson’s, Elders’, Carlson’s, and McCormack’s and 15.62% of Ms. Hinrichs’ respective Deferred Compensation Plan balance as of December 31, 2011 that would become vested on death or disability.

(2)Under the terms of the stock option awards outstanding for each of the Continuing Named Executives as of December 31, 2011, all unvested option awards would become vested and exercisable on death or disability. Due to the exercise price of the stock options outstanding and the closing price of our common stock on December 30, 2011, the aggregate value of stock options that would become vested and exercisable on death or disability for all Continuing Named Executives would be $0.

(3)Under the terms of the restricted stock unit awards outstanding for each of the Continuing Named Executives as of December 31, 2011, all unvested restricted stock unit awards would become vested and exercisable on death or disability.

(4)Under the terms of the performance share awards outstanding for each of the Continuing Named Executives as of December 31, 2011, 100% of the initial performance shares granted would vest on the third, fourth and fifth anniversary of the grant date on death or disability. The number of performance shares that would vest is the number of performance shares that would have vested based on actual performance had the Continuing Named Executive remained employed with McDermott until the third, fourth and fifth anniversaries of the grant date. Accordingly, each Continuing Named Executive may vest in a number of performance shares ranging from 0% — 200% of the initial performance shares granted, depending on McDermott’s total shareholder return relative to its peers during the applicable measurement periods. The amounts reported assume a total of 100% of the initial performance shares granted will vest during the applicable measurement periods, valued at the closing price of McDermott stock as reported on the NYSE on December 30, 2011, although the actual value of such performance shares that may vest on the third, fourth and fifth anniversary of the date of grant could be $0 for each Continuing Named Executive and up to $1,301,298 for Mr. Johnson, $325,273 for Mr. Elders, $130,109 for Mr. Carlson, $292,745 for Ms. Hinrichs, and $410,769 for Mr. McCormack, in each case representing a total of 200% of the initial performance shares granted. Additionally, the value of McDermott stock could be greater or less than the amount used to value the performance shares for this table.

Estimated Value of Benefits to Be Received Upon Change in Control

We have change-in-control agreements with various officers, including each of our Continuing Named Executives. Generally, under our annual incentive compensation programthese agreements, if a Continuing Named Executive is terminated within one year following a change in control either (1) by the company for any reason other than cause or death or disability, or (2) by the Continuing Named Executive for good reason, McDermott is required to pay the Continuing Named Executive a severance payment based on the Continuing Named Executives’ salary and a severance payment based on the Continuing Named Executives’ target EICP percentage. In addition to these payments, the Continuing Named Executive would be entitled to various accrued benefits earned through the date of termination, such as earned but unpaid salary, earned but unused vacation and reimbursements.

Under these agreements, a “change in control” generally occurs on the occurrence of any of the following:

a person becomes the beneficial owner of 30% or more of the combined voting power of McDermott’s then outstanding voting stock unless such acquisition is made directly from McDermott in a transaction approved by a majority of McDermott’s incumbent directors;

individuals who are incumbent directors cease for any reason to constitute a majority of McDermott’s board;

completion of a merger or consolidation of McDermott with another company or an acquisition by McDermott or its subsidiaries, unless immediately following such merger, consolidation or acquisition: (1) all or substantially all of the individuals or entities that were the beneficial owners of outstanding McDermott voting securities immediately before such merger, consolidation or acquisition beneficially own at least 50% of the then outstanding shares of voting stock of the parent corporation resulting from the merger, consolidation or acquisition in the same relative proportions as their ownership immediately before such merger, consolidation or acquisition; (2) if such merger, consolidation or acquisition

involves the issuance or payment by McDermott of consideration to another entity or its stockholders, the total fair market value of such consideration plus the principal amount of the consolidated long-term debt of the entity or business being acquired, does not exceed 50% of the sum of the fair market value of the outstanding McDermott voting stock plus the principal amount of the Company’s consolidated long-term debt; (3) no person beneficially owns 30% or more of the then outstanding shares of the voting stock of the parent company resulting from such merger, consolidation or acquisition; and (4) a majority of the members of the board of directors of the parent corporation resulting from such merger, consolidation or acquisition were incumbent directors of McDermott immediately before such merger, consolidation or acquisition;

completion of the sale or disposition of 50% or more of the assets of McDermott and its subsidiaries on a consolidated operating incomebasis, unless immediately following such sale or disposition: (1) the individuals and entities that were beneficial owners of $546.5 millionoutstanding McDermott voting stock immediately before such sale or disposition beneficially own at least 50% of the then outstanding shares of voting stock of McDermott and of the entity that acquires the largest portion of such assets, and (2) a majority of the members of the McDermott Board (if it continues to exist) and the board of directors of the entity that acquires the largest portion of such assets were incumbent directors of McDermott immediately before the completion of such sale or disposition; or

any other set of circumstances is deemed by the Board in its sole discretion to constitute a change in control.

The change-in-control agreements do not provide for 2009. excise tax gross-ups. They do, however, provide for the potential reduction in payments to the applicable officer in order to avoid excise taxes.

The following table shows the estimated value of payments and other benefits due the Continuing Named Executives assuming a change in control and termination as of December 31, 2011.

   S.M. Johnson  P.L. Elders  G.L. Carlson  L.K. Hinrichs  J.T. McCormack 

Salary-Based Severance Payment(1)

 $5,658,882   $1,643,822   $1,070,466   $1,402,763   $1,549,098  

EICP-Based Severance Payment(2)

 $950,000   $339,500   $201,600   $264,000   $350,000  

Deferred Compensation Plan(3)

 $131,926   $32,597   $19,611   $21,020   $30,042  

Stock Options(4) (unvested and accelerated)

 $0   $0   $0   $0   $0  

Restricted Stock Units(4) (unvested and accelerated)

 $3,073,630   $408,881   $354,796   $953,454   $591,280  

Performance Shares(4) (unvested and accelerated)

 $650,649   $162,636   $65,055   $146,373   $205,384  

Total

 $10,465,087   $2,587,436   $1,711,528   $2,787,610   $2,725,804  

(1)The salary-based severance payment made to each Continuing Named Executive, with the exception of Mr. Johnson, in connection with a change in control would be a cash payment equal to 200% of the sum of his or her annual base salary prior to termination and his or her EICP target award applicable to the year in which the termination occurs. The severance payment made to Mr. Johnson in connection with a change in control would be a cash payment equal to 299% of the sum of his annual base salary prior to termination and his EICP target award applicable to the year in which the termination occurs.

For a hypothetical termination as of December 31, 2011, the salary-based severance payment under a change in control would have been calculated based on the following base salary and target EICP awards. See “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” above for more information on the calculation of target EICP awards.

  
  
Continuing Named Executive  Annual Base Salary   Target EICP Award 

S. M. Johnson

  $950,000    $942,603  

P. L. Elders

  $485,000    $336,911  

G. L. Carlson

  $336,000    $199,233  

L. K. Hinrichs

  $440,000    $261,381  

J. T. McCormack

  $500,000    $274,549  
  
  

(2)Each Continuing Named Executive could receive up to two EICP-based severance payments in connection with a change in control depending on the timing of the termination relative to the payment of an EICP award, as follows:

If an EICP award for the year prior to termination is paid to other EICP participants after the date of the Continuing Named Executive’s termination, the Continuing Named Executive would be entitled to a cash payment equal to the product of the Continuing Named Executive’s target EICP percentage (or, if greater, the actual amount of the bonus determined under the EICP for the year prior to termination) and the Continuing Named Executive’s annual base salary for the applicable period. No such payment would have been due a Continuing Named Executive on a December 31, 2011 termination, because the 2010 EICP awards had already been paid prior to the Continuing Named Executive’s termination date.

The Continuing Named Executive would be entitled to a prorated EICP payment based upon the Continuing Named Executive’s target EICP percentage for the year in which the termination occurs and the number of days in which the Continuing Named Executive was employed with us during that year. Based on a hypothetical December 31, 2011 termination, each Continuing Named Executive would have been entitled to an EICP payment equal to 100% of his or her 2011 target EICP percentage times annual base salary, calculated based on the following base salary and target EICP percentage:

  
Continuing Named Executive  Annual
Base Salary
   Target EICP
Percentage
 

S. M. Johnson

  $950,000     100

P. L. Elders

  $485,000     70

G. L. Carlson

  $336,000     60

L. K. Hinrichs

  $440,000     60

J. T. McCormack

  $500,000     70
  
  

(3)The amounts reported represent 80% of Messrs. Johnson’s, Elders’, Carlson’s and McCormack’s and 15.62% of Ms. Hinrichs’ respective Deferred Compensation Plan balance as of December 31, 2011 that would become vested in connection with a termination of employment following a change in control. Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, a “change in control” generally occurs if:

a person (other than a McDermott employee benefit plan or a corporation owned by McDermott stockholders in substantially the same proportion as the ownership of McDermott voting shares) is or becomes the beneficial owner of 30% or more of the combined voting power of McDermott’s then outstanding voting stock;

during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute McDermott’s Board of Directors, and any new director whose election or nomination by McDermott’s Board was approved by at least two-thirds of the directors of McDermott’s Board then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination was previously approved, cease to constitute a majority of McDermott’s Board;

a merger or consolidation of McDermott, with any other corporation or entity has been completed, other than a merger or consolidation which results in the outstanding McDermott voting securities immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent at least 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of McDermott or the surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation;

McDermott’s stockholders approve (1) a plan of complete liquidation of McDermott; or (2) an agreement for the sale or disposition by McDermott of all or substantially all of McDermott’s assets; or

within one year following the completion of a merger or consolidation transaction involving McDermott, (1) individuals who, at the time of execution and delivery of definitive agreements completing such transaction constituted the Board, cease for any reason (excluding death, disability or voluntary resignation) to constitute a majority of the Board; or (2) either individual, who at the first execution and delivery of definitive agreements completing the transaction, served as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer does not, for any reason (excluding death, disability or voluntary resignation), serve as the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer, as applicable, of McDermott, or if McDermott does not continue as a registrant with a class of equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer, as applicable, of a corporation or other entity that is (A) a registrant with a class of equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and (B) the surviving entity in such transaction or a parent entity of the surviving entity or McDermott following the completion of such transaction; provided, however, that a Change in Control would not be deemed to have occurred pursuant to this clause in the case of a merger or consolidation which results in the voting securities of McDermott outstanding immediately prior to the completion of the transaction continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) at least 55% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the McDermott or the surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation.

(4)Under the terms of the stock option and restricted stock unit awards outstanding, all unvested stock options would become vested and exercisable and all unvested restricted stock units would become vested on a change in control, regardless of whether there is a subsequent termination of employment. Due to the exercise price of the stock options outstanding for our Continuing Named Executives and the closing price of our common stock on December 30, 2011, the aggregate value of stock options that would become vested and exercisable on a change in control, regardless of whether there is a subsequent termination of employment, would be $0. Under the terms of the performance share awards outstanding, the greater of (1) 100% of the initial performance shares granted, or (2) the vested percentage of initial performance shares determined in accordance with the grant agreement would become vested on a change in control, regardless of whether there is a subsequent termination of employment. Under our 2001 D&O Plan and 2009 LTIP, a “change in control” generally occurs under the same circumstances described above with respect to our Deferred Compensation Plan, except that the 2001 D&O Plan and the 2009 LTIP do not include, as a change in control event, the event described in the last bullet in note (3) above.

ADVISORY VOTETO APPROVE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION

(ITEM 2)

As designedrequired by Section 14A(a)(1) of the Exchange Act, we are providing our stockholders with an advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation.

The Compensation Committee has overall responsibility for our compensation plans, policies and programs with respect to the Named Executives. Additional information regarding the Compensation Committee individual performance wasand its role is described under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” and the differentiator among Named Executive’s annual incentive compensation payouts for 2009.

In April 2009, Mr. Stephen M. Johnson joined McDermott as our Presidentrelated tables and Chief Operating Officer. On January 1, 2010, he succeeded Mr. Deason as President and Chief Executive Officer of J. Ray. Because the transition occurred on January 1, 2010 compensation information relating to Mr. Johnson as reported in this Proxy Statement and discussed in this CD&A relates solely to his role as President and Chief Operating Officer of McDermott.


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Overview of Compensation Programs
and Objectives
Philosophy and Objectives.narrative disclosures. Our compensation programs are based on our belief that our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees to develop, expand and execute sound business opportunities is essential to the success of our company. To that end, the Compensation Committee, with the assistance of its compensation consultant, designs and administers compensation programs with the participation of our management. These programs generally seek to provide compensation that:

incentivizes and rewards short- and long-term performance, continuity of service and individual contributions; and

promotes retention of well-qualified executives, while aligning the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders.

We believe our compensation programs motivate and retain the Continuing Named Executives, while allowing for appropriate levels of business risk through some of the following features:

 incentivizes and rewards short- and long-term performance, continuity of service and individual contributions; and
 •    promotes retention of well-qualified executives, while aligning the interests of our executives with those of our shareholders.
Compensation Consultant.  Hewitt Associates LLC, or Hewitt, has served as the consultant to the Compensation Committee on executive and director compensation since October 2007, and served in that capacity during 2009. During 2009, Hewitt advised the Compensation Committee on all principal elements of our compensation programs and attended meetings of the Compensation Committee and participated in executive sessions without members of management present. In 2009, Hewitt provided advice and analysis on the design, structure and level of executive and director compensation. It also provided the Governance Committee and the Board advice and analysis regarding nonmanagement director compensation. In connection with Hewitt’s services to the Compensation Committee, in 2009 Hewitt sought and received input from our executive management on various matters and worked with our executive management to formalize proposals for the Compensation Committee. In 2009, Hewitt did not perform any other services for McDermott, other than assisting our management in preparing the performance graph included in our annual report onForm 10-K. Hewitt had been providing that service to management for several years prior to serving as the Compensation Committee’s consultant, and the fees for that service amounted to less than $2,000 in 2009. On February 1, 2010, Hewitt spun-off its executive compensation business into a separate company known as Meridian Compensation Partners LLC. Since the spin-off, Meridian, rather than Hewitt, has been advising the Compensation Committee on the matters described above.
Elements.  With the objectives outlined above in mind, the Compensation Committee approves annual compensation for Named Executives principally consisting of the following three elements:
•    annual base salary;
•    annual incentives; and
•    long-term incentives.
Collectively, we refer to these elements as the “total direct compensation” of a Named Executive.
Annual base salary provides a fixed level of compensation that helps attract and retain highly qualified executives. Annual incentive and long-term incentive compensation are the principal performance-based components of a Named Executive’s compensation. The annual incentive element is cash-based compensation generally designed to incentivize a Named Executive to achieve performance goals relative to the then-current fiscal year. Long-term incentives are generally equity-based and are designed to retain and closely align the interests of Named Executives with our shareholders. Similar to annual incentives, performance-based long-term incentive compensation is designed to promote the achievement of performance goals, only over a longer period — typically of three or more years.
As we discuss in more detail below, the Compensation Committee also administers several plans as part of our post-employment compensation arrangements designed to reward long-term service and performance.
Target Total Direct Compensation.  The Compensation Committee seeks to provide reasonable and competitive compensation. As a result, it targets

Reasonable Compensation Programs — Using the elements of total direct compensation for our Named Executives generally within 10%-15% of the median compensation of our market for comparable positions. Throughout this CD&A, we refer to compensation that is within 10%-15% of market median as “market range” compensation.

The Compensation Committee may set elements of total direct compensation above or below the market range to account for a Named Executive’s performance and experience, and other factors or situations that are not typically captured by looking at standard market data and practices and that the Compensation Committee deems relevant to the appropriatenessand/or competitiveness of a Named Executive’s compensation.


26


When making decisions regarding individual compensation elements, the Compensation Committee also considers the effect on the Named Executive’s target total direct compensation and target total cash-based compensation (annual base salary and annual incentives), as applicable. The Compensation Committee’s goal is to establish target compensation for each element it considers appropriate to support the compensation objectives that, when combined, create a target total direct compensation award for each Named Executive that is reasonable and competitive.
Defining Market Range Compensation — Benchmarking.  To identify median compensation, the Compensation Committee relies on “benchmarking” — reviewing the compensation of our Named Executives relative to the compensation paid to similarly situated executives at companies we consider our peers. Performance goals used within elements of total direct compensation are designed for the principal purpose of supporting our strategic and financial goalsand/or driving the creation of shareholder value, and, as a result, are not generally benchmarked.
At the request of the Compensation Committee, Hewitt conducted a market compensation analysis and provided advice regarding the median compensation of the three elements of total direct compensation for our officers, including the Named Executives. Using survey data from its proprietary compensation database (adjusted by Hewitt to 2009), Hewitt collected information from companies generally reflecting the size, scope and complexity of the business and executive talent at McDermott. To account for the size of our operations relative to peer companies, Hewitt used regression analysis to adjust the market information on peer companies based on revenue. To account for the diversity of geography and industry among our operations, Hewitt analyzed information from two principal peer groups, the J. Ray/Corporate Group and the Babcock & Wilcox Group. In this CD&A references to “market” or “our market” are references to the compensation of companies within the J. Ray/Corporate Group or Babcock & Wilcox Group, as applicable.
J. Ray/Corporate Group.  With assistance from our management, Hewitt compiled this group as the primary benchmark for our executives at our corporate and Offshore Oil and Gas Construction segments, both of which are headquartered in Houston, Texas. The group consists of 44 companies with operations in engineering, construction, government operationsand/or energy. The component companies of this group include:
Alliant Techsystems Inc.
Ameron International Corp.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
Baker Hughes, Inc.
BJ Services Company
Cameron International, Inc.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V.
Cooper Industries Plc
Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Devon Energy Corporation
Dover Corporation
Eaton Corporation
El Paso Corporation
ESCO Technologies Inc.
Flowserve Corporation
FMC Technologies, Inc.
Foster Wheeler AG
General Dynamics Corporation
Granite Construction Incorporated
Halliburton Company
Honeywell International, Inc.
Hubbell Inc.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Ingersoll-Rand
ITT Corp.
Joy Global Inc.
KBR, Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
Noble Corporation
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Pioneer Natural Resources Company
Raytheon Company
Rockwell Collins, Inc.
The Shaw Group Inc.
The Williams Companies, Inc.
Terex Corporation
Textron Inc.
Thomas & Betts Corporation
USG Corporation
Valmont Industries, Inc.
Vulcan Materials Company
Walter Industries, Inc.


27


Babcock & Wilcox Group.  With assistance from our management, Hewitt compiled this group as the primary benchmark for our executives at our Power Generation Systems and Government Operations segments. The group is largely a subset of the J.Ray/Corporate Group and consists of approximately 31 engineering, constructionand/or governments operations companies that are more specifically representative of our Power Generation Systems and Government Operations segments. The component companies within this group include:
Ameron International Corp.
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V.
Cooper Industries Plc
Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Dover Corporation
Eaton Corporation
ESCO Technologies Inc.
Flowserve Corporation
Foster Wheeler AG
General Dynamics Corporation
Granite Construction Incorporated
Honeywell International, Inc.
Hubbell Inc.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Ingersoll-Rand
ITT Corporation
Joy Global Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Raytheon Company
Rockwell Collins, Inc.
The Shaw Group Inc.
Terex Corporation
Textron, Inc.
Thomas & Betts Corporation
USG Corporation
Valmont Industries, Inc.
Vulcan Materials Company
Walter Industries Inc.
Washington Group International, Inc.
In addition to these peer groups, Hewitt supplements the market data with other publicly available compensation information related to companies in a peer group identified by management and Hewitt in October 2007, which we refer to as the “Custom Peer Group.” The Custom Peer Group consists of nine similarly situated engineering and construction companies and is the same group we use in the performance graph included in our annual report onForm 10-K. The Custom Peer Group is comprised of the following companies: Cal Dive International, Inc.; Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V.; Fluor Corporation; Foster Wheeler AG.; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; KBR, Inc.; Oceaneering International, Inc.; The Shaw Group Inc.; and URS Corporation. Compensation information for Custom Peer Group companies was based on information reported by those companies in publicly available Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The information available was largely limited to the five highest paid positions at the company and generally based on 2007 compensation. As a result, the Compensation Committee relied on theJ.Ray/Corporate Group and the Babcock & Wilcox Group as the primary benchmarks to determine the market range of 2009 compensation for our Named Executives.
Total Direct Compensation
2009 Overview.  The 2009 target total direct compensation for each of our Named Executives was within the market range of target total direct compensation, except for Mr. Deason. His target 2009 total direct compensation was slightly below the market range, primarily as a result of his 2009 long-term incentive compensation, which is discussed in more detail below.
The chart below shows the 2009 target total direct compensation by element for each Named Executive. Because some compensation elements are performance-based, Named Executives are capable of earning compensation above or below the market range for similarly situated executives in our market.


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2009 Target Total Direct Compensation Summary
             
    Annual
 Long-Term
    Incentive*
 Incentive*
Named Executive Annual Base Salary (% of Salary) (% of Salary)
J.A. Fees $900,000   100%  705%
M.S. Taff $505,000   70%  348%
B.C. Bethards $526,200   70%  286%
S.M. Johnson $750,000   85%  400%
R.A. Deason $555,000   70%  180%**
*  When making decisions as to the elements of a Named Executive’s total direct compensation, the Compensation Committee considersseeks to provide compensation opportunities for employees targeted at or near the dollar valuemedian compensation of comparable positions in our market. As a result, we believe the total direct compensation of executive officer employees provides a reasonable and appropriate mix of cash and equity, annual and longer-term incentives, and performance metrics.

Emphasize Long-Term Incentive Over Annual Incentive Compensation — Long-term incentive compensation typically makes up a larger percentage of an executive officer employee’s total direct compen-

sation than annual incentive compensation. Incentive compensation helps drive performance and align the interests of those employees with those of stockholders. In addition, tying a significant portion of an employee’s total direct compensation to long-term incentive compensation, butincentives (which typically awards these elementsvest over a period of three or more years) helps to promote longer-term perspectives regarding our company’s performance.

Clawback Policy — The Compensation Committee has adopted a policy under which McDermott shall seek to recover any incentive-based award granted to any executive officer as percentagesrequired by the provisions of annual base salary. This is primarily because our market generally targets these elements on athe Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any other “clawback” provision required by law or the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange.

percentage-of-salary basis. See ‘‘— Long-Term Incentive Compensation Subject to ForfeitureAnalysisThe Compensation Committee may terminate any outstanding stock award if the recipient, while employed by McDermott or performing services on behalf of 2009 Equity Grants” below forMcDermott under any consulting agreement: (1) is convicted of a discussionmisdemeanor involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude or a felony; or (2) engages in conduct that adversely affects or, in the sole judgment of how equity grants are valued.the Compensation Committee, may reasonably be expected to adversely affect, our business reputation or economic interests.

 
** 

Linear and Capped Incentive Compensation PayoutsThe value shownCompensation Committee establishes financial performance goals which are used to plot a linear payout formula for Mr. Deason’s long-termannual incentive compensation, eliminating payout “cliffs” between the established performance goals. The maximum payout for the annual incentive compensation is attributable entirelycapped at 200% of target.

Use of Multiple and Appropriate Performance Metrics — Utilizing diversified performance measures helps prevent compensation opportunities from being overly weighted toward the performance

result of a single measure. In general, our incentive programs are historically based on a mix of financial and individual goals. In recent years our primary financial performance metric has been operating income. Compared to his retentionother financial metrics, operating income is a measure of the profitability of our business which helps drive accountability at our operating segments thereby reducing risks related to incentive compensation by putting the focus on quality of revenues not quantity. Additionally, commencing in 2011, the Compensation Committee utilized total shareholder return and return on invested capital as additional performance measures.

Stock Ownership Guidelines — Our executive officers and directors are subject to share ownership guidelines which also helps promote longer-term perspectives and align the interests of our executive officers and directors with those of our stockholders. In 2010, we increased the stock award. See “— Total Direct Compensation — Long-Term Compensation — Valueownership requirements for both our executive officers and nonemployee directors to further emphasize this alignment of 2009 Long-Term Incentive Compensation” below for a discussion of Mr. Deason’s award.interests.

While the Compensation Committee does not set a specific target allocation among the elements of total direct

Reflecting these compensation it believes that a significant portion of aobjectives, compensation arrangements in 2011 for our Continuing Named Executive’s total direct compensation should be performance-based. On average, performance-based compensation accounted for approximately 56% of a Named Executive’s 2009 Executives resulted in:

target total direct compensation andwithin approximately 15% of the median compensation for officers in comparable positions in our market, with the exception of Mr. Johnson, whose target total direct compensation was set slightly above market due to his demonstrated leadership following the Spin-off;

performance-based compensation accounting for over 60% of his long-term incentive compensation. The average 2009 mix of target total direct compensation, elements for our Named Executives was as follows:

(DIAGRAM)
Annual Base Salary
2009 Base Salaries.  In January 2009, the Compensation Committee was provided with (1) the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer as to 2009 base salaries for our Named Executives (other than the Chief Executive Officer), (2) Hewitt’s analysis of market compensation (as adjusted by Hewitt to January 2009) and (3) tally sheets showing the 2008 compensation and benefits of our Named Executives. Hewitt’s market analysis compared the recommended base salary and the target total direct compensation of each officer (assuming 2009 salary recommendations were approved) to the median compensation of the applicable market.
The 2009 base salaries for our Named Executives were as follows:
2009 Annual Base Salaries
         
  2009 Annual
 Percent of
Named Executive Base Salary Market(1)
 
J.A. Fees $900,000   78%
M.S. Taff $505,000   88%
B.C. Bethards $526,200   100%
S.M. Johnson $750,000   102%
R.A. Deason $555,000   107%
(1)Market = 50th percentile of annual base salary, based on the benchmark applicable to the executive.
In response to market data and the slowdown in global economic conditions that began in 2008, the Compensation Committee sought to limit increases in 2009 base salaries for our officers, including our Named Executives, to an average, increase of 3-4%, with limited exceptions based on individual circumstances, in line with the median increase among companies in our market. Mr. Bethards’ base salary did not


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change because he received a substantial increase in October 2008 in connection with his promotion and the Compensation Committee believed his salary was appropriate relative to the market. As to Mr. Deason, the Compensation Committee increased his base salary for 2009 slightly less than the market-level increases and set it at a level that was within market range for his position. Finally, Messrs. Fees and Taff, whose base salaries were both substantially below market in 2008, each received an above-average increase in base salary to more closely align their respective base salaries with the market-median base salaries for their positions.
Annual Incentive Compensation
2009 Overview.  The Compensation Committee administers our annual incentive compensation program under our Executive Incentive Compensation Plan, which we refer to as the EICP.
The EICP is a cash incentive plan designed to motivate and reward our Named Executives and other key employees for their contributions to business goals and other factors that we believe drive our earningsand/or create shareholder value. EICP compensation consists of a financial performance component and an individual performance component. The 2009 target EICP was split between these two components as follows:
•    70% of target EICP was attributable to financial performance; and
•    30% of target EICP was attributable to individual performance.
Financial performance is the largest factor in determining EICP compensation because the Compensation Committee generally considers it to be more objective and to more directly influence the creation of shareholder value, as compared to individual performance. Individual performance, however, serves as an important metric to help promote the achievement of strategic, non-financial goals. To reward significant individual contributions, the Compensation Committee increased the representation of the individual component from 15% to 30% of target EICP46% in 2010; and

performance-based compensation, accounting for 2009, as compared to 2008. However, to maintain the emphasis on financial performance, financial performance determined the amount eligible to be paid under EICP compensation (irrespective of the level of individual performance attained). For example, if target financial performance was attained, then a Named Executive would be eligible to receive up to a target payout under the financial component and individual component. No EICP compensation would be earned (including for individual performance) unless the threshold level of financial performance was attained and the maximum EICP compensation a Named Executive could earn in 2009 was 200% of target EICP.

As a result, the EICP payment amount was principally determined based on: (1) the attainment of annual financial goals (which represented up to 140% of EICP compensation); and (2) the attainment of annual individual goals (which represented up to 60% of EICP compensation). The Compensation Committee had the discretion to decrease an EICP payment. For more information regarding the EICP and the 2009 EICP grants, see the immediately following discussion and the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below.
Target 2009 EICP.  The target 2009 EICP compensation for our Named Executives was as follows:
2009 Target EICP
         
  Target EICP
 Percent of
Named Executive (% of annual base salary) Market(1)
 
J.A. Fees  100%  85%
M.S. Taff  70%  89%
B.C. Bethards  70%  86%
S.M. Johnson  85%  96%
R.A. Deason  70%  86%
(1)Market = 50th percentile of target annual incentive compensation, based on the benchmark applicable to the executive.
No changes were made to 2009 target EICP from the 2008 targets, except for Mr. Taff whose 2008 EICP was 55%. The Compensation Committee set 2009 target EICP for Messrs. Bethards, Deason and Taff at the same level for internal equity reasons.
2009 EICP Financial Goals.  The financial goals for 2009 EICP consisted of a mix of McDermott, B&W and J. Ray operating income. Generally, EICP financial goals were based: (1) entirely on our consolidated operating income for McDermott officers, such as Messrs. Fees, Johnson and Taff; and (2) on a mix of our consolidated operating income and, as applicable, J. Ray or B&W operating income for segment chief executive officers, such as Messrs. Bethards and Deason. Although Messrs. Bethards and Deason are primarily responsible for directing only their respective segment operations, as executive officers of McDermott the Compensation Committee believes


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that a portion of their annual incentive compensation should be based on consolidated financial results as well. As a result, of the 140% that could be earned under the EICP for financial performance, approximately 100% was attributable to segment operating income and 40% to consolidated operating income for these two Named Executives. The following charts illustrate the mix of consolidated and segment operating income goals for 2009 EICP compensation.
(DIAGRAM)
(DIAGRAM)
The Compensation Committee considers operating income an appropriate financial measure to use for compensation purposes, because it is the primary driver of net income, which the Compensation Committee expects to drive our stock price. In comparison to net income, however, operating income is more directly influenced by the revenues generated and costs incurred as a result of management action and is more readily attributable to our operating segments.
The consolidated and segment operating income goals for 2009 EICP compensation were as follows:
2009 EICP Financial Goals
Threshold
Target (Min)
Target
Target (Max)
Maximum
(70% of Target)(95% of Target)(100%)(105% of Target)(120% of Target)
The Babcock & Wilcox Company

  •    Power Generation Systems

  •    Government Operations
$191.7 million$260.2 million$273.9 million$287.6 million$328.7 million
J. Ray McDermott, S.A.

  •    Offshore Oil & Gas Construction
$98.0 million$133.0 million$140.0 million$147.0 million$168.0 million
McDermott International, Inc.

  •    Consolidated(1)
$241.9 million$328.2 million$345.5 million$362.8 million$414.6 million
(1)Consolidated operating income levels equal the sum of the segment operating income less an amount for unallocated corporate operating expenses.
Historically, the Compensation Committee established three levels of operating income goals. These levels would determine the threshold, target and maximum amounts that would be paid under the financial component of the EICP, with target level being based on management’s internal estimates of operating income and threshold and maximum levels set as a percentage of the target level. The Compensation Committee designs incentive compensation to drive target level performance and does not believe that compensation should be earned for performance substantially below that level. As a result, no EICP compensation would be earned (including for individual performance) unless a threshold level of financial performance was attained. The Compensation Committee believes that Named Executives should be rewarded for superior financial performance. It therefore establishes a maximum level performance goal to incentivize higher performance, but caps the payout to maximize returns to shareholders for performance above the maximum payout level, thereby reducing the risk related to incentive compensation.


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The performance range between the threshold level and the maximum level was relatively narrow prior to 2009. For instance in 2008, the operating income goals ranged between 75% of target operating income at the threshold level and 108% of target operating income at the maximum level. With operating income goals set within a range of 33% determining a payout range of 200%, relatively small changes in performance results produced large variations in EICP payouts.
For 2009, the Compensation Committee sought to increase the performance range between threshold and maximum level goals, making the maximum payment more difficult relative to target and reducing the minimum performance required to be attained before any EICP compensation would be earned. In addition, the Compensation Committee established a range for target comprised of three separate operating income goals. The intended effect of these changes was to reduce the significance of the impact of minor variations in financial results, thereby reducing the risk related to the EICP.
The Compensation Committee considered a number of performance goals recommended by management, including threshold level goals as low as 50% of target operating income and maximum level goals as high as 150% of target operating income. With the advice of Hewitt, the Compensation Committee set the threshold level operating income goal at 70% of target and the maximum level operating income goal at 120% of target. The operating income goals at the target level ranged from 95% of the target goal to 105% of the target goal.
A Named Executive would have been eligible to earn the following amounts under the 2009 EICP based on attaining the following levels of operating income:
•    25% of target EICP at threshold level operating income;
•    92.5% of target EICP at target (Min) level operating income;
•    100% of target EICP at target level operating income;
•    107.5% of target EICP at target (Max) level operating income; and
•    200% of target EICP at maximum level operating income.
The percentage that would be paid between threshold and maximum is interpolated based on the levels of operating income established by the Compensation Committee. No payment would have been earned under the EICP for 2009 if operating income results had been below the threshold level.
The following graph shows the effect that the 2009 EICP changes had on the relative payouts, compared to 2008 EICP:
(LINE GRAPH)
2009 EICP Individual Goals.  As discussed under “— 2009 Overview” above, each Named Executive could earn from 0-60% of his 2009 target EICP based on the attainment of individual goals. Individual goals established for each Named Executive were tailored to the individual’s position and focused on supporting strategic initiatives and achieving common goals.


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The individual goals and their respective weightings for our Named Executives’ 2009 EICP compensation are set forth in the table below. The Compensation Committee established the individual goals for Mr. Fees. Except for the safety goals which were established by the Compensation Committee, Mr. Fees established the individual goals for the remaining Named Executives.
John A. Fees:•    achieve specific levels of company-wide health, safety and environmental performance averages (0-30%); and
•    positive assessment by the Governance Committee of the Board regarding six categories: leadership, strategic planning, financial results, succession planning, communications and Board relations. (0-30%).
Michael S. Taff:•    achieve specific levels of company-wide health, safety and environmental performance averages (0-20%);
•    develop and implement plan to address the credit facility that matures in 2010 (0-20%); and
•    develop strategic multi-year plan regarding information technology (0-20%).
Brandon C. Bethards:•    achieve specific levels of health, safety and environmental performance averages at our Power Generation Systems and Government Operations segments (0-20%);
•    successfully manage the completion of the initial phase of a strategic global financial implementation project as it relates B&W entities (0-20%); and
•    achieve successful integration of a specified acquisition as defined by the integration plan milestones (0-20%).
Stephen M. Johnson:•    achieve specific levels of company-wide health, safety and environmental performance averages (0-15%);
•    achieve specific reductions in SG&A at operating units(0-15%);
•    implement plan to improve predictability of forecasting at operating units (0-15%); and
•    improve project execution at the operating units (0-15%).
Robert A. Deason:•    achieve specific levels of health, safety and environmental performance averages at our Offshore Oil and Gas Construction segment (0-15%);
•    implement a comprehensive strategic contracting control plan (0-15%);
•    implement plan to cut non-productive expenses (0-15%); and
•    develop human resource management plan for our Offshore Oil and Gas Construction segment (0-15%).


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2009 Annual Incentive Compensation Payments.  The 2009 target and final EICP compensation amounts for each Named Executive are shown in the table below.
2009 EICP Payment Summary
                     
Named
 2009 EICP Target Goals Attained Total 2009
Executive % of Salary Amount Financial Individual Annual Incentive
                     
J.A. Fees  100% $900,000   140%  45% $1,665,000 
M.S. Taff  70% $353,500   140%  60% $707,000 
B.C. Bethards  70% $368,340   137.5%  42.5% $663,012 
S.M. Johnson  85% $637,500   140%  37.5% $1,131,563 
R.A. Deason  70% $388,500   140%  60% $777,000 
Analysis of 2009 EICP Payments.  In February 2010, the Compensation Committee considered (1) our 2009 consolidated and segment operating income in light of established performance goals, (2) the Governance Committee’s assessment of the individual performance of Mr. Fees, (3) Mr. Fees’ self-assessment of his individual performance relative to his individual goals and (4) Mr. Fees’ recommendation of each Named Executive’s 2009 EICP compensation based on his assessment of the financial and individual performance applicable to each of the Named Executives
As discussed above, financial performance accounted for 70% of each Named Executive’s 2009 target EICP or, depending on the performance achieved, 0-140% of the final EICP amount, and determined the amount each Named Executive would be eligible to earn under the 2009 EICP. McDermott and JRM, earning approximately $546.5 million and $317.0 million of operating income, respectively, for 2009, both exceeded the maximum level performance goal. In 2009, B&W produced adjusted operating income of approximately $325.7 million, which exceeded the target level performance goal but not the maximum level. B&W’s 2009 operating income included expense relating to the mPowertm modular nuclear reactor initiative. Relative to annual incentive compensation, the mPowertm initiative is longer-term in nature and to avoid adversely impacting Named Executive’s EICP compensation for strategic investments, approximately $13 million of the mPowertm expenses were excluded from B&W operating income for purposes of calculating 2009 EICP payments. Individual performance accounted for 30% of each Named Executive’s 2009 target EICP, or, depending on the level of individual and financial performance, 0-60% of the final EICP amount.
Mr. Fees.  Based on McDermott’s 2009 financial results, Mr. Fees was eligible to earn 200% of his 2009 target EICP compensation. As a result of McDermott’s operating income, he earned 140% of his 2009 target EICP under the financial performance component. Based on the positive assessment of the Governance Committee and the achievement of consolidated safety goals, Mr. Fees met or exceeded his individual goals. However, as a result of the operational challenges that reduced other Named Executives’ 2009 EICP compensation, as well as the Compensation Committee’s view that the leader of the Company has both the responsibility as well as the accountability for all aspects of the Company’s performance, the Compensation Committee exercised its discretion under the EICP and reduced Mr. Fees’ individual performance component payout from 60% to 45%. As a result, Mr. Fees earned 185% of his 2009 target EICP, or $1,665,000. Mr. Fees feels strongly about the critical nature of leadership and leading by example. Since two of Named Executives received reductions in their EICP payouts, he agreed with the decision on his 2009 EICP compensation.
Mr. Taff.  Based on McDermott’s 2009 financial results, Mr. Taff was eligible to earn 200% of his 2009 target EICP compensation. As a result of McDermott’s operating income, he earned 140% of his 2009 target EICP under the financial performance component. Mr. Taff met or exceeded his individual goals, resulting in Mr. Taff earning 60% of his 2009 target EICP under the individual performance component. As a result, Mr. Taff earned 200% of his 2009 target EICP, or $707,000.
Mr. Bethards.  Mr. Bethards’ financial goals were attributable to McDermott and B&W operating income. As a result of B&W’s 2009 adjusted financial results and McDermott’s financial results, Mr. Bethards was eligible to earn 196% of his 2009 target EICP compensation. Based solely on the financial results, he earned 137.5% of his 2009 target EICP under the financial performance component.


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Mr. Bethards met or exceeded all of his individual goals except with respect to two goals (safety and integration of a subsidiary acquired by B&W), which in each case were only partially achieved. Based on the relative weighting of his individual goals, Mr. Bethards earned 42.5% of his 2009 target EICP under the individual performance component. As a result, Mr. Bethards earned 180% of his 2009 target EICP, or $663,012.
Mr. Johnson.  Based on McDermott’s 2009 financial results, Mr. Johnson was eligible to earn 200% of his 2009 target EICP compensation. As a result of McDermott’s operating income, he earned 140% of his 2009 target EICP under the financial performance component. Mr. Johnson met or exceeded all of his individual goals except with respect to two goals (reduced SG&A expenses, which was partially met, and forecasting improvement). Based on the relative weighting of his individual goals, Mr. Johnson earned 37.5% of his 2009 target EICP under the individual performance component. As a result, Mr. Johnson earned 177.5% of his 2009 target EICP, or $1,131,563.
Mr. Deason.  Based on JRM’s 2009 financial results, Mr. Deason was eligible to earn 200% of his 2009 target EICP compensation. As a result of JRM’s operating income, he earned 140% of his 2009 target EICP under the financial performance component. Mr. Deason met or exceeded his individual goals, resulting in Mr. Deason earning 60% of his 2009 target EICP under the individual performance component. As a result, Mr. Deason earned 200% of his 2009 target EICP, or $777,000.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
The Compensation Committee believes that the interests of our shareholders are best served when a significant percentage of compensation is comprised of equity and other long-term incentives that appreciate in value contingent upon increases in the value of our common stock and other performance measures that reflect improvements in McDermott’s business fundamentals. Therefore, long-term incentive compensation represents the single largest element of our Named Executives’ total direct compensation.
Analysis of 2009 Equity Grants.
Mix of 2009 Equity.  In 2006 and 2007, the long-term incentive compensation of our officers, including the Named Executives, consisted entirely of performance shares. These performance shares generally provided for vesting three years from the date of grant in an amount between 0% and 150% of the number of shares granted, depending on the level of cumulative consolidated operating income achieved during the vesting period. In 2008, the Compensation Committee, with the advice of Hewitt, incorporated time-vested restricted stock into long-term incentive compensation, to promote retention. However, performance shares still constituted 75% of our officer’s long-term incentive compensation for 2008. As a result, at the time the Compensation Committee considered 2009 long-term incentive compensation, performance shares dominated the outstanding long-term incentive compensation of Named Executives.
In addition, Hewitt’s market analysis of long-term incentive compensation indicated that many companies were reexamining their long-term incentive mix. Specifically, Hewitt noted that more companies were using stock options for rewarding performance based on absolute stock price improvement, restricted stock for retention and performance-based stock to encourage a focus on financial or operational drivers.
As a result, our Chief Executive Officer recommended changing the mix and allocation of equity award types used in connection with 2009 long-term incentive compensation. With the advice of Hewitt and to maintain the competitiveness of Named Executive’s compensation, the Compensation Committee approved the use of a mix of performance shares, restricted stock units and stock options in 2009 for Named Executives. To drive performance, the Compensation Committee determined to issue at least a majority of long-term incentive compensation in the form of performance-based compensation. For 2009, the performance-based long-term compensation consisted of performance shares and stock options. The Compensation Committee allocated 2009 target long-term incentive compensation, as follows:
•    20% performance shares;
•    40% stock options; and
•    40% restricted stock units.
Similar to prior years, the 2009 performance shares generally vest three years from the date of grant. However, the Compensation Committee made two principal changes in the 2009 performance shares. First, to be consistent with annual incentive compensation, the 2009 performance shares vest in an amount between 0% and 200% of the target shares granted. Second, the Compensation Committee added the concept of relative shareholder return as a performance condition, in addition to operating income. The


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Compensation Committee continues to believe that operating income is an appropriate financial metric for use in both annual and long-term incentive compensation because of its potential to drive stock price and accountability at operating segments; however, in 2008 we witnessed a disconnect in performance results. With approximately $570 million of operating income, McDermott produced its second highest level of operating income since The Babcock & Wilcox Company was acquired by McDermott in 1978, although the price of its stock declined. To tie performance shares more directly with shareholder return, the 2009 performance shares will vest (1) one-half based on the level of cumulative operating income attained over the three-year period ending December 31, 2011 and (2) one-half based on the total shareholder return of our stock relative to the Custom Peer Group over the same period.
On the recommendation of management and with the advice of Hewitt, the Compensation Committee set cumulative operating income for the target and maximum vesting levels at amounts that represent 6% and 10% annual growth from the target operating income goal used in connection with 2009 annual incentive compensation. Consistent with annual incentive compensation, no performance shares will vest based on operating income if the performance results are below 70% of the target three-year cumulative operating income goal. In addition, the performance shares that vest based on shareholder return will vest as follows:
•    25% will vest if our total shareholder return is at the 25th percentile (threshold level) relative to the total shareholder return of the Custom Peer Group;
•    100% will vest if our total shareholder return is at the 50th percentile (target level) relative to the total shareholder return of the Custom Peer Group; and
•    200% will vest if our total shareholder return is at the 100th percentile (maximum level) relative to the total shareholder return of the Custom Peer Group.
The percentage that would vest between threshold, target and maximum levels is interpolated based on those performance levels. However, regardless of percentile, 200% would vest if our total shareholder return for the three-year period ranks either first or second relative to the total shareholder return of the Custom Peer Group over the same period. No performance shares would vest based on shareholder return if our total shareholder return relative to the Custom Peer Group falls below the 25% threshold performance level.
For more information regarding the 2009 performance shares, restricted stock units and stock options, see the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below and disclosures under “Compensation of Executive Officers — Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards.”
Value of 2009 Long-Term Incentive Compensation.  The 2009 target long-term incentive compensation for our Named Executives was as follows:
2009 Target Long-Term Incentive
         
  Target LTI
  
  (% of annual base
 Percent of
Named Executive salary) Market(1)
J.A. Fees  705%  113%
M.S. Taff  348%  125%
B.C. Bethards  286%  100%
S.M. Johnson  400%  100%
R.A. Deason(2)  180%  64%
(1)Market = 50th percentile of target long-term incentives based on the benchmark applicable to the executive.
(2)As more fully discussed below, Mr. Deason’s 2009 equity grant was not long-term in nature. However, because it was equity-based, it is included in the discussion of long-term incentive compensation for comparative purposes.
As a result of market conditions in 2008, the value of Named Executives’ outstanding long-term incentive compensation dropped considerably. In February 2009, the expected value of the long-term incentive compensation granted between 2006 and 2008 was approximately 35% of the target grant date value. For certain officers, including two Named Executives (Messrs. Fees and Taff), the expected value of their outstanding long-term incentive compensation was even lower due to the particular mix of their respective equity following recent promotions within McDermott. The Compensation Committee was concerned that long-term incentive compensation would not effectively promote their intended purpose at values substantially below target. The Compensation Committee therefore increased the target 2009 long-term incentive compensation of Mr. Fees and Mr. Taff by 13% and 9%, respectively, over the amount initially recommended to be granted in 2009. As a result,


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Mr. Taff’s target 2009 long-term incentive compensation exceeded the market range; however, his total direct compensation was within the market range.
Finally, as a result of Mr. Deason’s intention to retire, the Compensation Committee did not grant him a long-term incentive award for 2009. However, to retain Mr. Deason through 2009, he received a retention grant of 100,000 restricted stock units that vested on his continued employment through December 31, 2009. The number of restricted stock units was based on (1) the value of one-third of the market median long-term incentive compensation applicable to Mr. Deason and (2) an additional amount calculated, on the recommendation of Hewitt, based on Mr. Deason’s 2009 annual base salary and target annual incentive compensation, prorated for his then-remaining 2009 service term.
Sizing Long-Term Incentive Compensation.  The Compensation Committee generally determines the size of equity-based grants as a percentage of a Named Executive’s annual base salary, rather than granting a targeted number of shares. The number of performance shares, restricted stock units and stock options granted can be expressed through the following formula:
value of target long-term incentive($)/FMV($).
The dollar value of the target equity award for each Named Executive was derived by multiplying the Named Executive’s target percentage by his 2009 base salary. The fair market value of one performance share, restricted stock unit and stock option was determined by Hewitt near the time of grant and generally reflected a discount from the market price of our common stock as a result of the vesting conditions and restrictions on transfer. Hewitt used a Black Scholes model to value stock options. For the long-term incentive compensation granted in February 2009, the fair market value of our common stock as of the date the grants were calculated (based on the closing price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange) was $13.21, compared to the discounted value50% in 2010.

McDermott’s financial performance in 2011 included:

Consolidated revenue of $10.52 for one performance share, $12.177 for one restricted stock unit and $8.581 for an option to acquire one share of our common stock. Because the long-term incentive compensation grants vest over three years, the number of shares calculated were rounded down to the nearest multiple of three. To illustrate, consider the 120,603 performance shares granted to our Chief Executive Officer in 2009. The dollar value of Mr. Fees’ target 2009 long-term incentive compensation was $6,344,000 ($900,000 base salary multiplied by 705% target long-term incentive). Performance shares accounted for 20% of his target long-term incentive compensation granted in 2009, or $1,268,800. At a fair market value of $10.52/share, 20% of Mr. Fees target long-term compensation grant amounted to 120,608 shares, or, rounded down to the nearest multiple of three, 120,603 performance shares.

Timing of Equity Grants.  To avoid timing equity grants ahead of the release of material nonpublic information, the Compensation Committee generally approves stock option and other equity awards effective as of the first day of the next open trading window following the meeting at which the grants are approved, which is generally the third day following the filing of our annual report onForm 10-K or quarterly report onForm 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This practice was followed for all long-term incentive compensation grants to Named Executives in 2009.
Perquisites
Perquisites are not factored into the determination of the total direct compensation of our Named Executives, because they are typically provided to Named Executives on an exception basis.
We own a fractional interest in three aircraft through an aircraft management company, which we use for business purposes and make available to our Named Executives for limited personal use. When we permit the personal use of aircraft by a Named Executive, we have a choice regarding the amount of income imputed to the executive officer for that use. Under current Internal Revenue Service rules, we may impute to the executive officer the actual cost incurred by us for the flight or an amount based on Standard Industry Fare Level (“SIFL”) rates set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Imputing income based on SIFL rates usually results in less income tax liability to the executive officer but higher income taxes to us due to limitations on deducting aircraft expenses that exceed the income imputed to employees. To minimize our cost of permitting the personal use of the aircraft, we impute income for personal use of aircraft to our Named Executives in an amount that results in the least amount of tax burden for McDermott.
As required by applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules, we calculate compensation in respect of personal use of corporate aircraft based on our “incremental cost.” We compute


37


incremental cost for personal use of aircraft based on the actual cost incurred by us for the flight, including:
•    the cost of fuel;
•    a usage charge equal to the hourly rate charged by our flight operator multiplied by the flight time;
•    “dead head” costs, if applicable, of flying aircraft without passengers to and from locations; and
•    the dollar amount of increased income taxes we incur as a result of disallowed deductions under IRS rules.
Since the aircraft are used primarily for business travel, incremental costs generally exclude fixed costs such as the purchase price of our interests in the aircraft, aircraft management fees, depreciation, maintenance and insurance. Our cost for flights, whether business or personal, is not affected by the number of passengers. As a result, we do not assign any amount, other than the amount of any disallowed deduction, when computing incremental costs for the presence of guests accompanying a Named Executive on such flights. While we do not generally incur any additional cost, this travel may result in imputed income to the Named Executive and disallowed deductions on our income taxes. We will reimburse the Named Executive for the travel expenses of a guest accompanying a Named Executive, including the provision of agross-up for any imputed income, when the presence of that guest is related to the underlying business purpose of the trip. We also provide our Named Executives with a taxgross-up for income incurred in connection with a relocation with McDermott or one of our affiliated companies.
Post-Employment Compensation
Retirement Plans
Overview.  We provide retirement benefits through a combination of qualified defined benefit pension plans, which we refer to as our “Retirement Plans,” and a qualified defined contribution 401(k) Plan, which we refer to as our “Thrift Plan,” for most of our U.S. employees, including our Named Executives. We sponsor the following four Retirement Plans:
•    the McDermott Retirement Plan for the benefit of employees of McDermott Incorporated;
•    the JRM Retirement Plan for the benefit of U.S. employees of our Offshore Oil and Gas Construction segment;
•    the Government Operations Retirement Plan for the benefit of employees of our Government Operations segment; and
•    the Commercial Operations Retirement Plan for the benefit of U.S. employees of our Power Generation Systems segment.
In addition to the broad-based qualified plans described above, we sponsor unfunded, nonqualified excess retirement plans. The excess plans cover a small group of highly compensated employees, including Mr. Fees and Mr. Bethards, whose ultimate benefits under the applicable Retirement Plan are reduced by Internal Revenue Code limits on the amount of benefits which may be provided under qualified plans, and on the amount of compensation which may be taken into account in computing benefits under qualified plans. Benefits under the excess plans are paid from our general assets. See the Pension Benefit table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below for more information regarding our Retirement Plans.
Recent Changes to Retirement Plans.  Over the past several years, we have reassessed our retirement plans due to the volatility, cost and complexity associated with defined benefit plans and evolving employee preferences. As a result, we have taken steps to shift away from traditional defined benefit plans and toward a defined contribution approach. In 2003, we closed the JRM Retirement Plan to new participants and froze benefit accruals for existing participants. In lieu of future defined benefit plan accruals under the JRM Retirement Plan, we amended our Thrift Plan to provide affected employees with an automatic cash contribution to their Thrift Plan account equal to 3% of the employee’s base pay, plus overtime pay, expatriate pay and commissions, which we refer to collectively as “thriftable earnings.” Mr. Deason had not satisfied the JRM Retirement Plan eligibility requirements at the time that plan was closed to new participants. Therefore, he does not participate in a Retirement Plan or an excess plan. In 2006, we closed the McDermott, Commercial Operations and Government Operations Retirement Plans to new salaried participants and froze benefit accruals for existing salaried participants with less than five years of credited service as of March 31, 2006, subject to specific annualcost-of-living increases. In lieu of future defined benefit plan accruals under those plans, we further amended our Thrift Plan to provide an automatic cash contribution


38


to the Thrift Plan accounts of affected employees and new hires in an amount between 3% and 8% of the employee’s thriftable earnings, based on their length of service. Mr. Taff was affected by these changes. Mr. Taff does not participate in a Retirement Plan or an Excess Plan because he had not met the McDermott Retirement Plan eligibility requirements at the time that plan was closed to new participants. In 2007, we offered salaried participants in the McDermott, Commercial Operations and Government Operations Retirement Plans with between five and 10 years of credited service as of January 1, 2007 the one-time irrevocable choice between (1) continuing to accrue future benefits under the Retirement Plan or (2) freezing their Retirement Plan accrued benefit as of March 31, 2007, subject to annualcost-of-living increases, and receiving an automatic service-based cash contribution to their Thrift Plan account instead. Mr. Johnson’s employment with McDermott commenced after these changes and, as a result, he does not participate in a Retirement Plan or an excess plan.
Supplemental Plans.  In 2005, as part of our determination to move away from defined benefit plans, our management recommended that the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee terminate our then-existing non-qualified defined benefit supplemental executive retirement plan. In its place, our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee established a new defined contribution supplemental executive retirement plan, which we refer to as the “SERP,” to help maintain the competitiveness of our post-employment compensation$3.4 billion, as compared to our market. The SERP is an unfunded, nonqualified plan that provides participants with benefits based on the participant’s notional account balance at the time$2.4 billion for 2010;

Consolidated operating income of retirement or termination. Annually, we credit a participant’s notional account with an amount equal$250.7 million, as compared to 5%$314.9 million for 2010; and

Consolidated ROIC of the participant’s prior-year base salary and annual bonus paid8%.

Operationally, in the prior year. The Compensation Committee has designated deemed mutual fund investments to serve as indices for the purpose2011 McDermott also:

Achieved backlog of determining notional investment gains and losses to each participant’s account. Each participant allocates the annual notional contribution among the various deemed investments. SERP benefits are based on the participant’s vested notional account balance at the time of retirement or termination. In order to take advantage of grandfathering provisions in Internal Revenue Code Section 457A, in 2009, the Compensation Committee amended the SERP to vest each participant’s account$3.88 billion as of December 31, 2008. Of2011;

Achieved substantial growth in our Asia Pacific segment, as reflected by increases of over 115% in both revenue and operating income in the segment as compared to 2010;

Amended/refinanced our credit facility to extend the scheduled maturity date, provide additional liquidity, obtain improved covenants and reduce fees; and

Established a joint venture entity which we co-own with two Brazilian companies, which joint venture plans to bid to provide engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) services to the oil and gas industry offshore Brazil.

Under McDermott’s 2011 compensation program,

None of the Continuing Named Executives with a SERP account balance aswere awarded bonuses under the 2011 EICP. Based on McDermott’s 2011 financial results, the Continuing Named Executives were eligible to earn approximately 18% of their respective 2011 target EICP compensation, subject to the endassessment of 2008, only Mr. Taff’s account was not fully vested. Attheir respective individual goals. Upon the time of the amendment, Mr. Taff was 80% vested in his SERP balance. As a resultrecommendation of Mr. Johnson’s employment commencing April 1, 2009, he did not have a SERP balance and was therefore unaffected by this amendment. Please seeJohnson based on the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table on page 53 and accompanying narrative for more information about the SERP and our contributions to our Named Executives’ SERP accounts.

Employment and Severance Arrangements
Employment and Separation Agreements.  Except forchange-in-control agreements and retention agreements, we do not currently have any employment or severance agreements with any of our Named Executives.
Change-in-Control Agreements.  In our experience,change-in-control agreements for named executive officers are common within our industry, and our Board and Compensation Committee believe that providing these agreements to our Named Executives protects shareholders’ interests by helping to assure management continuity and focus through and beyond a change in control. Accordingly,2011 financial results, the Compensation Committee, has offeredchange-in-control agreements to key senior executives, includingin the exercise of its discretion, determined that, although the Continuing Named Executives since 2005. Ourchange-in-control agreements generally provide a cash severance paymentand other participants in the EICP were eligible to earn approximately 18% of two (2.99 for Mr. Fees) times the sumtheir target EICP compensation, 0% would be awarded in light of the Named Executive’s annual base salary and target EICP, a cash payment equal to two years of medical benefits and an additional taxgross-up in the event of any excise tax liability.financial results. Instead, as recommended by Mr. Johnson, received achange-in-control agreement coincident with his commencement of employment in April 2009. At that time, it was not our intention to provide for an excise taxgross-up payment in connection with any newchange-in-control agreements and, as a result, Mr. Johnson’s agreement does not contain such a taxgross-up provision.
Additionally, ourchange-in-control agreements contain what is commonly referred to as a “double trigger,” that is, they provide benefits only upon an involuntary termination or constructive termination of the executive officer within one year following a change in control. See the Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control table under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below and the accompanying disclosures for more information regarding thechange-in-control agreements with our Named Executives, as well as other plans and


39


arrangements that have different trigger mechanisms that relate to a change in control.
Retention Agreements.  On December 7, 2009, we announced plans to spin off B&W into an independent, publicly traded company. In connection with that announcement, and to ensure retention of key employees and executives through the completion of the separation of B&W from McDermott, on December 10, 2009, we entered into retention agreements with 17 key members of management, including our Named Executives, other than Mr. Deason who had already announced his intention to retire.
Generally, the retention agreements provide either a retention or severance payment to the Named Executives in connection with the proposed separation. The retention agreements generally provide a retention payment in the form of a restricted stock grant made near the time of the separation, that would vest one year following the separation, equal to 100% (149.5% in the case of Mr. Fees) of the sum of the Named Executive’s annual base salary plus target annual incentive. That amount represented one-half of the severance payment that otherwise would be provided under each Named Executive’s retention agreement in the event of a qualifying termination, and discussed below. With respect to Mr. Taff, one-third of his retention payment will be payable in cash on the effective date of the separation, in recognition of his agreement to serve as the Chief Financial Officer of B&W following the separation.
Although the proposed separation would not constitute a change in control for purposes of theChange-in-Control Agreements or other Company compensation plans, the Compensation Committee determined that the needbonus amounts that otherwise would have been payable should effectively be returned to maintain continuity of management and personnel that exists under a change in control scenario equally existed in connection with the planned separation of B&W. As a result, the retention agreements provide for severance payments that would generally be the same as the severance payments that would be made in connection with a qualifying termination on or following a change in control (other than taxgross-ups). Accordingly, the retention agreements provide for a cash severance payment of two (2.99 for Mr. Fees) times the sum of the Named Executive’s annual base salary and target EICP, prorated target annual incentive compensation and a cash payment equal to two years of medical benefits as well as the full vesting of outstanding long-term incentive grants and SERP balance. The only payment provided for under the retention agreement not otherwise payable in a change in control is the potential early vesting of the Named Executive’s Thrift Plan account. Under the terms of the Thrift Plan, unvested balances would become vestedshareholders in the event a participant is involuntarily terminated in connection with a reduction in force. Because involuntary terminations for reasons other than cause in connection with the proposed separation generally would be considered to be associated with a reduction in force,form of additional operating income. In making this recommendation and decision, respectively, Mr. Johnson and the Compensation Committee determinedconsidered the increase in 2011

revenues of approximately 43%, together with the decrease in 2011 operating income by approximately 20% from 2010 levels, the continued performance issues in the Atlantic segment and issues relating to several projects in other segments.

In making its decision not to addaward bonuses for 2011 under the vesting of Thrift Plan accounts toEICP, the severance benefits to avoid any ambiguity onCompensation Committee noted that point. The Thrift Plan normally vests after three years of service. As a result of his commencement of employment in 2009, Mr. Johnson ishad achieved the only Named Executive to which this benefit may be applicable.

Mr. Fees’ retention agreement also contains restrictions on his ability to compete with McDermott (including both B&W and J. Ray), or solicit our employees, for two years following the termination of his employment.
See the Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control table under “Compensation of Executive Officers — Retention Agreements” below and the accompanying disclosures for more information regarding the retention agreements with our Named Executives.
Stock Ownership Guidelines
Overview.  To align the interests of directors, executive officers and shareholders, we believe our directors and executive officers should have a significant financial stake in McDermott. To further that goal, we adopted stock ownership guidelines, effective January 1, 2006, requiring generally that our nonmanagement directors and our officers maintain a minimum ownership interest in McDermott. The amount required to be retained varies dependingindividual performance component, based on the executive’s position. The guidelines require our Chief Executive Officer to ownGovernance Committee’s assessment of Mr. Johnson’s individual performance against stated goals, and retaineach of Messrs. Elders, Carlson and McCormack and Ms. Hinrichs had achieved their respective

individual performance components based on Mr. Johnson’s assessment of their respective individual performance achievements against stated goals, with the exception of the financial performance goal and a minimumsafety goal for Mr. McCormack.

As of 100,000December 31, 2011, (1) the estimated payout as a percent of target for the performance shares granted in 2011 was 0%, and (2) the share price of our common stock and our other Named Executives to own and retain at least 35,000 shares. The guidelines require nonmanagement directors to own and retain a minimum of 6,000 shares of our common stock.

Directors and officers have five years fromhad not exceeded the effective datestrike price of the stock ownership guidelines or their initial electionoptions granted in 2011, although as a director/officer, whichever is later, to comply withnoted below, the guidelines. The Compensation Committee has discretion to waive or modifyestimated payout and share price may change during the term of the performance shares and stock ownership guidelines for directors and officers.options.

 


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The following table summarizes the 2011 performance-based compensation opportunities for each of our Continuing Named Executives as compared to the realizable value of such opportunities as of December 31, 2011:

2011 Performance-Based Compensation Opportunity vs. Realizable Value as of December 31, 2011

    EICP(1)   Performance
Shares(2)(3)
   Stock
Options(2)(3)
   Total 

S. M. Johnson

        

2011 Opportunity

  $942,603    $2,382,132    $944,089    $4,268,824  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

P. L. Elders

        

2011 Opportunity

  $336,911    $595,438    $236,000    $1,168,349  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

G. L. Carlson

        

2011 Opportunity

  $199,233    $238,175    $94,406    $531,814  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

L. K. Hinrichs

        

2011 Opportunity

  $261,381    $535,894    $212,421    $1,009,696  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

J. T. McCormack

        

2011 Opportunity

  $274,549    $634,020    $253,847    $1,162,416  

2011 Realizable Value

  $0    $0    $0    $0  

(1)2011 Opportunity Values for EICP are disclosed at the Continuing Named Executives’ target EICP award. The 2011 Opportunity Value provided for Mr. McCormack reflects his target EICP award following his promotion to EVP, COO.

(2)2011 Opportunity Values for performance shares and stock options are disclosed at the grant date fair value of the respective awards.

(3)The 2011 Realizable Values shown above are measured as of December 31, 2011. However, the amount of the performance shares granted in 2011 that ultimately vest, if any, will be determined by reference to our total shareholder return over three-, four- and five-year periods. See “Long-Term Incentive Compensation — Analysis of 2011 Equity Grants.” The vesting of any of these performance shares would impact the future Realizable Value of these performance share awards. In addition, an increase in our stock price compared to our stock price at December 31, 2011 may impact the future Realizable Value of the stock option awards granted in 2011.

Compensation Committee Report
We have reviewed and

For the reasons discussed above, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote FOR the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Named Executives, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, withcompensation tables and

accompanying narrative discussion in McDermott’s management and, based on our review and discussions, we recommendedproxy statement relating to its 2012 annual meeting of stockholders is hereby APPROVED.”

While the resolution is non-binding, the Board thatof Directors plans to consider the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
Thomas C. Schievelbein, Chairman
Roger A. Brown
Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr.
David A. Trice


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Compensation of Executive Officers
The following table summarizes the prior three years’ compensation of our current Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer and our three highest paid executive officers who did not serve as our CEO and CFO during 2009. We refer to these persons as our Named Executives. No compensation information is provided for Mr. Johnson for 2007 or 2008 because he joined our company in 2009.
Summary Compensation Table
                                     
              Change in
    
              Pension
    
              Value and
    
              Nonqualified
    
            Non-Equity
 Deferred
    
        Stock
 Option
 Incentive Plan
 Compensation
 All Other
  
Name and Principal Position Year Salary Bonus(1) Awards(2) Awards(3) Compensation(4) Earnings(5) Compensation(6) Total
J.A. Fees  2009  $900,000  $0  $3,543,276  $1,995,846  $1,665,000  $399,782  $111,407  $8,615,311 
Chief Executive Officer  2008  $592,500  $270,223  $6,835,450  $0  $570,803  $143,028  $148,310  $8,560,314 
   2007  $515,000  $0  $1,431,212  $0  $702,975  $333,153  $57,679  $3,040,019 
                                     
M.S. Taff  2009  $505,000  $0  $980,544  $552,314  $707,000   N/A  $59,315  $2,804,173 
Senior Vice President &  2008  $440,000  $110,000  $1,671,638  $0  $141,207   N/A  $45,757  $2,408,602 
Chief Financial Officer  2007  $374,999  $0  $742,610  $0  $387,563   N/A  $34,211  $1,539,383 
                                     
B.C. Bethards  2009  $526,200  $0  $840,544  $473,450  $663,012  $305,160  $65,693  $2,874,059 
President & Chief  2008  $438,675  $10,000  $1,207,512  $0  $509,298  $158,014  $54,831  $2,378,330 
Executive Officer, B&W  2007  $390,000  $0  $999,148  $0  $460,278  $186,071  $43,249  $2,078,746 
                                     
S.M. Johnson  2009  $562,500  $0  $2,664,402  $1,435,394  $1,131,563   N/A  $83,929  $5,877,788 
President & Chief  2008   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A 
Executive Officer, J. Ray  2007   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A 
                                     
R.A. Deason  2009  $555,000  $0  $1,077,000  $0  $777,000   N/A  $124,847  $2,533,847 
Former President & Chief  2008  $540,000  $0  $1,847,489  $0  $0   N/A  $117,077  $2,504,566 
Executive Officer, J. Ray  2007  $485,000  $0  $1,242,184  $0  $679,000   N/A  $59,375  $2,465,559 
(1) See “Bonus” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(2) See “Stock Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(3) See “Option Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(4) See “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(5) See “Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(6) See “All Other Compensation” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
Bonus.  The amounts reported in the “Bonus” column are attributable to discretionary bonus awards.
Stock Awards.  The amounts reported in the “Stock Awards” column represents the aggregate grant date fair value of stock awards granted in 2009 and computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The amounts previously reported for 2007 and 2008 have been recomputed under the same standard in accordance with SEC rules. Under FASB ASC Topic 718, the fair valueoutcome of the stock awards is determined on the date of grant and is not remeasured. Grant date fair values are determined using the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant for restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance shares. The grant date fair value of performance shares included in the stock awards is based on target-level performance, which we determined was the probable outcome of performance conditions at the time of grant. Assuming the maximum performance levels were probable, the aggregate grant date fair values of the stock awards would be as follows:


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Grant Date Fair Value Assuming
Maximum Performance
       
    Grant Date Fair
    Value Assuming
    Maximum
Name Year Performance Level
J.A. Fees  2009  $4,842,171
   2008  $9,511,135
   2007  $2,146,818
M.S. Taff  2009  $1,339,993
   2008  $2,326,078
   2007  $1,113,915
       
B.C. Bethards  2009  $1,148,685
   2008  $1,580,801
   2007  $1,498,722
       
S.M. Johnson  2009  $3,641,126
   2008  N/A
   2007  N/A
R.A. Deason  2009  N/A
   2008  $2,570,636
   2007  $1,863,276
See the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table for more information regarding the stock awards we granted in 2009.
Option Awards.  The amounts reported in the “Option Awards” column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all option awards granted in 2009 computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Under FASB ASC Topic 718, the fair value of stock options is determined on the date of grant using an option-pricing model and is not remeasured. We use a Black-Scholes option-pricing model for measuring the fair value of stock options. The determination of the fair value of an award on the date of grant using an option-pricing model requires various assumptions, such as the expected life of the award and stock price volatility. For a discussion of the valuation assumptions, see Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included in our annual report onForm 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
See the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table for more information regarding the option awards we granted in 2009.
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation.  The amounts reported in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column are attributable to the annual incentive awards earned in fiscal years 2007, 2008 and 2009, but paid in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. See the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table for more information regarding the annual incentive awards earned in 2009.
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings.  The amounts reported in the “Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings” column represent the changes in actuarial present values of the accumulated benefits under defined benefit plans, determined by comparing the prior completed fiscal year end amount to the covered fiscal year end amount.
All Other Compensation.  The amounts reported for 2009 in the “All Other Compensation” column are attributable to the following:
All Other Compensation
                     
      Service-Based
    
      Thrift
    
  SERP Contribution Thrift Match Contribution Tax Gross-Ups Perquisites
J.A. Fees $64,774  $7,350     $11,501  $27,782 
                     
M.S. Taff $41,378  $7,358  $7,358  $3,221    
                     
B.C. Bethards $44,948  $4,906     $1,144  $14,695 
                     
S.M. Johnson    $6,342  $7,280  $17,111  $53,196 
                     
R.A. Deason $60,950  $4,968  $7,353  $18,620  $32,956 
SERP. See the “Nonqualified Deferred Compensation” table for more information regarding the SERP contributions made in 2009.
Thrift Match and Service-Based Thrift Contribution.  We refer to our defined contribution plan as our Thrift Plan. For information regarding our Thrift Plan matching contributions and service-based Thrift Plan contributions, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Post-employment Compensation — Retirement Plans” above.


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TaxGross-Ups.  The taxgross-ups reported for 2009 under “All Other Compensation” are attributable to the following:
•    Mr. Fees:  Mr. Fees received taxgross-ups associated with income imputed to him as a result of his relocation from Virginia to Texas, following his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of McDermott.
•    Mr. Taff:  Mr. Taff received taxgross-ups associated with income imputed to him as a result of his spouse accompanying him on business travel.
•    Mr. Bethards:  Mr. Bethards received taxgross-ups associated with income imputed to him as a result of his spouse accompanying him on business travel and as a result of a gift received at a management meeting.
•    Mr. Johnson:  Mr. Johnson received taxgross-ups associated with income imputed to him as a result of his relocation from Idaho to Texas, following his appointment as Chief Operating Officer of McDermott.
•    Mr. Deason:  Mr. Deason received taxgross-ups associated with income imputed to him as a result of his spouse accompanying him on business travel.
Perquisites.  Perquisites and other personal benefits received by a Named Executive are not included if their aggregate value does not exceed $10,000. For Messrs. Fees, Bethards, Deason and Johnson, the values of the perquisites and other personal benefits reported for 2009 are as follows:
•    Mr. Fees:  $22,577 is attributable to the costs of providing him relocation assistance in connection with his move from Virginia to Texas. The remainder is attributable to the cost of club dues, the costs resulting from his spouse accompanying him on business travel and the cost of promotional merchandise in connection with a board of directors meeting.
•    Mr. Bethards:  $12,474 is attributable to the costs of providing him relocation assistance in connection with his move from Ohio to Virginia following his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of B&W. The remainder is attributable to the cost of club dues and the cost of promotional merchandise in connection with a board of directors meeting.
•    Mr. Johnson:  $52,936 is attributable to the costs of providing him relocation assistance in connection with his move from Idaho to Texas. The remainder is attributable to the cost of promotional merchandise in connection with a board of directors meeting.
•    Mr. Deason:  $32,696 is attributable to the costs resulting from his spouse accompanying him on business travel. The remainder is attributable to the cost of promotional merchandise in connection with a board of directors meeting.


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Grants of Plan-Based Awards
The following Grants of Plan-Based Awards table provides additional information about stock awards and equity and non-equity incentive plan awards granted to our Named Executives during the year ended December 31, 2009.
                                                 
                          All Other
  All Other
       
                          Stock
  Option
       
        Estimated Possible Payouts Under
  Estimated Future Payouts Under
  Awards:
  Awards:
  Exercise
  Grant Date
 
        Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
  Equity Incentive Plan Awards
  Number of
  Number of
  or Base
  Fair Value
 
     Committee
  (1)  (2)  Shares of
  Securities
  Price of
  of Stock and
 
     Action
           Threshold
  Target
  Maximum
  Stock
  Underlying
  Option
  Option
 
Name
 Grant Date  Date  Threshold  Target  Maximum  (#)  (#)  (#)  or Units(3)  Options(4)  Awards  Awards(5) 
J.A. Fees
                                                
   02/26/09   02/26/09  $157,500  $900,000  $1,800,000                            
   03/05/09   02/26/09               30,150   120,603   241,206           $1,298,894 
   03/05/09   02/26/09                        208,392        $2,244,382 
   03/05/09   02/26/09                           295,716  $10.93  $1,995,846 
                                                 
M.S. Taff
                                                
   02/26/09   02/26/09  $61,863  $353,500  $707,000                            
   03/05/09   02/26/09               8,343   33,375   66,750           $359,449 
   03/05/09   02/26/09                        57,669        $621,095 
   03/05/09   02/26/09                           81,834  $10.93  $552,314 
                                                 
B.C. Bethards
                                                
   02/26/09   02/26/09  $64,460  $368,340  $736,680                            
   03/05/09   02/26/09               7,152   28,611   57,222           $308,140 
   03/05/09   02/26/09                        49,434        $532,404 
   03/05/09   02/26/09                           70,149  $10.93  $473,450 
                                                 
S.M. Johnson
                                                
   05/07/09   05/07/09  $111,563  $637,500  $1,275,000                            
   05/14/09   05/07/09               13,453   53,814   107,628           $976,724 
   05/14/09   05/07/09                        92,985        $1,687,678 
   05/14/09   05/07/09                           131,949  $18.15  $1,435,394 
                                                 
R.A. Deason
                                                
   02/26/09   02/26/09  $67,988  $388,500  $777,000                            
   03/05/09   02/26/09                        100,000        $1,077,000 
(1) See “Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(2) See “Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(3) See “All Other Stock Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(4) See “All Other Option Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
(5) See “Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts included in this column.
Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
Our Compensation Committee administers the Executive Incentive Compensation Plan, an annual cash incentive program, which we refer to as the EICP. The payment amount, if any, of an EICP award is determined based on: (1) the attainment of short-term financial goals; (2) the attainment of short-term individual goals; and (3) the exercise of the Compensation Committee’s discretionary authority. Each year, our Compensation Committee establishes financial goals and, with respect to our Chief Executive Officer, individual goals. Our Chief Executive Officer establishes individual goals for the other Named Executives.
The financial goals contain threshold, target and maximum performance levels which, if achieved, result in payments of 25%, 100% and 200% of the financial component, respectively. If the threshold financial goal is not achieved, no amount is paid on an EICP award under the financial component. For purposes of evaluating McDermott’s performance under the financial performance component, our Compensation Committee may adjust our results prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for unusual, nonrecurring or


45


other items in the Committee’s discretion. Payment is made on an EICP award under the individual component based on the attainment of the Named Executive’s individual goals as determined and evaluated by our Chief Executive Officer or, with respect to our Chief Executive Officer, by our Governance Committee. In addition, our Compensation Committee may decrease an EICP award in its discretion. The maximum EICP award a Named Executive can earn is 200% of his target EICP award.
The amounts shown reflect grants of 2009 EICP awards. Our Compensation Committee established target EICP awards expressed as a percentage of the Named Executive’s 2009 base salary. The amount shown in the “target” column represents the value of the target EICP award determined by multiplying the target percentage established for each Named Executive by the Named Executive’s 2009 base salary. For 2009, the target percentage of base salary for each Named Executive was as follows: 100% for Mr. Fees, 70% for Mr. Taff, 70% for Mr. Bethards, 85% for Mr. Johnson and 70% for Mr. Deason. The amount shown in the “maximum” column represents the maximum amount payable under the EICP, which is 200% of the target amount shown. The amount shown in the “threshold” column represents the amount payable under the EICP assuming the threshold level of the financial goals, but no individual goal, is attained and our Compensation Committee did not exercise any discretion over the EICP award. The financial goal represents 70% of the target EICP award. Attaining only the threshold level, or 25%, of the financial goal results in an EICP payment of 17.50% of the target EICP award. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Annual Incentive Compensation” above for more information about the 2009 EICP awards and performance goals.
Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards
The amounts shown reflect grants of performance shares under our 2001 D&O Plan, with the exception of grants made to Mr. Johnson, which were made under the 2009 LTIP, which was approved by stockholders on May 8, 2009. Each grant represents a right to receive one share of McDermott common stock for each vested performance share. The amount of performance shares that vest, if any, is scheduled to be determined on the third anniversary of the date of grant based (1) one-half on our cumulative operating income between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011, and (2) one-half on our total shareholder return relative to the Custom Peer Group described in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Overview of Compensation Programs and Objectives — Defining Market Range Compensation — Benchmarking” during the same period. For purposes of evaluating McDermott’s cumulative operating income, our Compensation Committee may adjust our results prepared in accordance with GAAP for unusual, non-recurring or other items in the Committee’s discretion. The amounts shown in the “target” column represent the number of performance shares granted, which will vest if both the target level of cumulative operating income is attained and our total shareholder return ranks in the 50th percentile relative to the Custom Peer Group. The amounts shown in the “maximum” column represent the number of performance shares that will vest, which is 200% of the amount granted, if both the maximum level of cumulative operating income is attained and our total shareholder return ranks first or second in total shareholder return relative to the Custom Peer Group. The amounts shown in the “threshold” column represent the number of performance shares that will vest, which is 25% of the amount granted, if both the minimum level of cumulative operating income is attained and our total shareholder return ranks in the 25th percentile relative to the Custom Peer Group. No amount of performance shares will vest if the cumulative operating income achieved is less than the minimum performance level and our total shareholder return ranks in less than the 25th percentile relative to the Custom Peer Group. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Long-Term Incentive Compensation” above for more information regarding the 2009 performance shares.
All Other Stock Awards
The amounts shown reflect grants of restricted stock units under our 2001 D&O Plan, with the exception of the grant to Mr. Johnson, which was made under the 2009 LTIP. Each restricted stock unit represents the right to receive one share of McDermott common stock and are generally scheduled to vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant. Upon vesting, the restricted stock units are converted into shares of McDermott common stock. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Long-Term Incentive Compensation” above for more information regarding the 2009 restricted stock units.


46


All Other Option Awards
The amounts shown reflect grants of stock options under our 2001 D&O Plan, with the exception of the grant to Mr. Johnson, which was made under the 2009 LTIP. Each grant represents the right to purchase at the exercise price shares of McDermott common stock over a period of seven years. The stock options are generally scheduled to vest and become exercisable in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Long-Term Incentive Compensation” above for more information regarding the 2009 stock options.
Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards
The amounts included in the “Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards” column represent the full grant date fair values of the equity awards computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Under FASB ASC Topic 718, the fair value of equity awards is determined on the date of grant and is not remeasured. Grant date fair values are determined using the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant for restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance shares, and an option-pricing model for stock options. We use a Black-Scholes option-pricing model for measuring the fair value of stock options granted. The determination of the fair value of an award on the date of grant using an option-pricing model requires various assumptions, such as the expected life of the award and stock price volatility. For more information regarding thevote when making future compensation expense related to 2009 awards, and a discussion of valuation assumptions utilized in option pricing, see Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included in our annual report onForm 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.


47decisions.


Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End table summarizes the equity awards we have made to our Named Executives which were outstanding as of December 31, 2009.
                                            
  
       Option Awards (1)   Stock Awards (2) 
                                Equity
 
                                Incentive
 
             Equity
               Equity
  Plan Awards:
 
             Incentive
               Incentive
  Market or
 
             Plan
               Plan Awards:
  Payout Value
 
             Awards:
               Number of
  of Unearned
 
       Number of
  Number of
  Number of
         Number of
     Unearned
  Shares, Units
 
       Securities
  Securities
  Securities
         Shares or
  Market Value of
  Shares, Units
  or Other
 
       Underlying
  Underlying
  Underlying
         Units of
  Shares or Units of
  or Other
  Rights That
 
       Unexercised
  Unexercised
  Unexercised
  Option
  Option
   Stock That
  Stock That Have
  Rights That
  Have Not
 
       Options
  Options
  Unearned
  Exercise
  Expiration
   Have Not
  Not Vested
  Have Not
  Vested
 
Name  Grant Date   Exercisable  Unexercisable  Options  Price  Date   Vested  (3)  Vested  (3) 
J.A. Fees
                                           
Stock Options   03/05/09       295,716     $10.9300   03/05/16                  
DSU   05/12/05                         9,150  $219,692         
Performance Shares   05/10/07                         63,600  $1,527,036         
Restricted Stock   03/03/08                         6,160  $147,902         
Performance Shares   03/03/08                               8,327  $199,931 
Restricted Stock   10/01/08                         26,720  $641,547       
Performance Shares   10/01/08                               36,135  $867,601 
RSU   03/05/09                         208,392  $5,003,492       
Performance Shares   03/05/09                                 241,206  $5,791,356 
M.S. Taff
                                           
Stock Options   06/08/05    23,000         $7.1933   06/08/15                  
Stock Options   03/05/09       81,834     $10.9300   03/05/16                  
DSU   06/08/05                         4,500  $108,045         
Performance Shares   05/10/07                         33,000  $792,330         
Restricted Stock   03/03/08                         4,593  $110,278         
Performance Shares   03/03/08                               6,215  $149,222 
RSU   03/05/09                         57,669  $1,384,633       
Performance Shares   03/05/09                                 66,750  $1,602,668 
B.C. Bethards
                                           
Stock Options   03/05/09       70,149     $10.9300   03/05/16                  
Performance Shares   05/10/07                         44,400  $1,066,044         
Restricted Stock   03/03/08                         2,620  $62,906         
Performance Shares   03/03/08                               3,545  $85,115 
Restricted Stock   11/10/08                         17,333  $416,165       
RSU   03/05/09                         49,434  $1,186,910       
Performance Shares   03/05/09                                 57,222  $1,373,900 
S.M. Johnson
                                           
Stock Options   05/14/09       131,949     $18.1500   05/14/16                  
RSU   05/14/09                         92,985  $2,232,570         
Performance Shares   05/14/09                                 107,628  $2,584,148 
R.A. Deason
                                           
Stock Options   05/12/05    30,540        $6.7267   05/12/15                  
DSU   05/12/05                         8,226  $197,506         
Performance Shares   05/10/07                         55,200  $1,325,352         
Restricted Stock   03/03/08                         5,080  $121,971         
Performance Shares   03/03/08                                 6,867  $164,877 
                                            
                                            
(1)See “Option Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts reported in this column including the vesting dates of unexercisable option awards.
(2)See “Stock Awards” below for a discussion of the amounts reported in this column including the vesting dates of outstanding stock awards.
(3)Market values in these columns are based on the closing price of our common stock as of December 31, 2009 ($24.01), as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.


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Option Awards.  Information presented in the “Option Awards” columns relates to options to purchase shares of our common stock held by our Named Executives as of December 31, 2009. All unexercisable options generally vest in three equal installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date, as follows:
Grant DateOne-third of Grant Vests on:
03/05/09March 5, 2010, 2011 and 2012
05/14/09May 14, 2010, 2011 and 2012
Stock Awards.  Information presented in the Stock Awards columns relates to awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock units and performance shares held by our Named Executives as of December 31, 2009. The awards reported in the “Equity Incentive Plan Awards” columns consist entirely of stock awards subject to performance-based conditions as of December 31, 2009. The awards reported in the “Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested” column reflect stock awards subject to service-based vesting, including performance shares whose performance conditions have been satisfied as of December 31, 2009.
Restricted Stock Awards.  Shares of restricted stock are generally scheduled to vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date. The vesting schedule of the restricted stock outstanding as of December 31, 2009 is as follows:
Grant DateOne-third of Grant Vests on:
03/03/08March 3, 2010 and 2011
10/01/08October 1, 2010 and 2011
11/10/08November 10, 2010 and 2011
Restricted Stock Units.  Restricted stock units represent the right to receive one share of our common stock for each vested restricted stock unit. Restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2009 are generally scheduled to vest in one-third increments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date, as follows:
Grant DateOne-third of Grant Vests on:
03/05/09March 5, 2010, 2011 and 2012
05/14/09May 14, 2010, 2011 and 2012
Deferred Stock Units.  Deferred stock units are settled in cash in an amount equal to the number of vested units multiplied by the average of the highest and lowest price of our common stock on the date of vesting. Deferred stock units are generally scheduled to vest in five equal installments on each anniversary of the date of grant. The vesting schedule of the deferred stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2009 is as follows:
Grant DateOne-fifth of Grant Vests on:
05/12/05May 12, 2010
06/08/05June 8, 2010
Performance Shares.  Performance shares represent the right to receive one share of our common stock for each performance share that vests. The number of performance shares that vest depends on the attainment of specified performance goals. The number and value of performance shares reported is based on achieving threshold performance levels, unless the previous year’s performance level exceeds threshold, in which case the number and value of performance shares reported is based on attaining the next higher performance level. The number and value of the 2007 performance shares reported are based on attaining the maximum performance level, or 150% of the performance shares granted. The number and value of the 2008 performance shares reported are based on attaining the threshold performance level, or 25% of the performance shares granted. The number and value of the 2009 performance shares reported are based on attaining the maximum performance level, or 200% of the performance shares granted. See the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table for more information about performance shares. Performance shares are generally scheduled to vest on the third anniversary of the date of grant, as follows:
Grant DateVests per Attainment of Performance Levels on:
05/10/07May 10, 2010
03/03/08March 3, 2011
10/01/08October 1, 2011
03/05/09March 5, 2012
05/14/09May 14, 2012


49


Option Exercises and Stock Vested
The following Option Exercises and Stock Vested table provides additional information about the value realized by our Named Executives on exercises of option awards and vesting of stock awards during the year ended December 31, 2009.
                 
  Option Awards Stock Awards
   
  Shares
   Shares
  
  Acquired
 Value Realized
 Acquired
 Value Realized 
 Name on Exercise (#) on Exercise on Vesting (#) on Vesting
J.A. Fees  0   N/A   120,090  $2,458,148.70 
M.S. Taff  0   N/A   31,547  $567,563.97 
B.C. Bethards  0   N/A   32,477  $631,050.07 
S.M. Johnson  0   N/A   0   N/A 
R.A. Deason  0   N/A   164,766  $3,576,229.68 
Option Awards.  No stock option awards were exercised by any Named Executive during the year ended December 31, 2009.
Stock Awards.  For each Named Executive, the number of shares acquired on vesting reported in the Option Exercises and Stock Vested table represents the aggregate number of shares that vested during 2009 in connection with awards of performance shares, restricted stock, restricted stock unitsand/or deferred stock units. The awards of deferred stock units reflected in this table are payable entirely in cash. As a result, no shares of stock were actually acquired upon the vesting of these deferred stock units. See the “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End” table for more information on the settlement of deferred stock unit awards. The following table sets forth the amount of shares attributable to performance shares, restricted stock, restricted stock units and deferred stock units, for each Named Executive:
                                 
  Performance Shares Restricted Stock Restricted Stock Units Deferred Stock Units
     
  Number of
   Number of
   Number of
   Number of
  
  Shares
 Value
 Shares
 Value
 Shares
 Value
 Shares
 Value
  Acquired on
 Realized
 Acquired
 Realized
 Acquired
 Realized
 Acquired
 Realized
 Name Vesting on Vesting on Vesting on Vesting on Vesting on Vesting on Vesting on Vesting
J.A. Fees  94,500  $1,919,655   16,440  $363,454   0   N/A   9,150  $175,040 
M.S. Taff  24,750  $447,728   2,297  $22,614   0   N/A   4,500  $97,223 
B.C. Bethards  22,500  $407,025   9,977  $224,025   0   N/A   0   N/A 
S.M. Johnson  0   N/A   0   N/A   0   N/A   0   N/A 
R.A. Deason  54,000  $976,860   2,540  $25,006   100,000  $2,417,000   8,226  $157,363 
The number of shares acquired in connection with the vesting of performance shares, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units includes 39,418, 7,298, 11,160 and 51,416 shares withheld by us at the election of Messrs. Fees, Taff, Bethards and Deason, respectively, to satisfy the minimum statutory withholding tax due upon vesting. For more information on the withholding of shares to cover taxes due upon vesting, see the “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” section of this proxy statement.


50


Pension Benefits
The following Pension Benefits table shows the present value of accumulated benefits payable to each of our Named Executives under our qualified and nonqualified pension plans.
         
      Present Value
 Payments
    Number of Years
 of Accumulated
 During
Name Plan Name Credited Service Benefit 2009
J.A. Fees McDermott Qualified Retirement Plan 30.583 $1,165,113 $0
  McDermott Excess Plan 30.583 $2,900,748 $0
M.S. Taff N/A N/A N/A N/A
  N/A N/A N/A N/A
B.C. Bethards B&W Governmental Operations Qualified Retirement Plan 36.00 $1,148,331 $0
  B&W Governmental Operations Excess Plan 36.00 $1,307,901 $0
S.M. Johnson N/A N/A N/A N/A
  N/A N/A N/A N/A
R.A. Deason N/A N/A N/A N/A
  N/A N/A N/A N/A
Overview of Qualified Plans.  We maintain retirement plans that are funded by trusts and cover certain eligible regular full-time employees of McDermott and its subsidiaries, described below in the section entitled “Participation and Eligibility,” except certain nonresident alien employees who are not citizens of a European Community country or who do not earn income in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.
•    Mr. Fees participates in the Retirement Plan for Employees of McDermott Incorporated and Participating Subsidiary and Affiliated Companies (the “McDermott Qualified Retirement Plan”) for the benefit of the eligible employees of McDermott Incorporated and specific subsidiaries;
•    Mr. Bethards participates in the Retirement Plan for Employees of Babcock & Wilcox Government Operations (the “B&W Government Operations Qualified Retirement Plan”) for the benefit of the eligible employees of B&W and our Governmental Operations segment; and
•    Due to their respective employment dates, Messrs. Taff, Johnson and Deason do not participate in our defined benefit plans. For more information on our retirement plans, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Post-employment Compensation — Retirement Plans.”
Participation and Eligibility.  Generally, employees over the age of 21 years, who were hired before April 1, 2005, are eligible to participate in the McDermott Qualified Retirement Plan or B&W Governmental Operations Qualified Retirement Plan.
•    For participants with less than five years of service as of March 31, 2006 — Benefit accruals were frozen as of that date. Affected employees now receive annual service-based company cash contributions to their Thrift Plan account.
•    For participants with more than five but less than ten years of service as of January 1, 2007 — If a participant made an election to do so, benefit accruals were frozen as of March 31, 2007, with the electing participants now receiving annual service-based company cash contributions to their Thrift Plan accounts.
•    Frozen accrued benefits of affected employees under these plans will increase annually in line with increases in the Consumer Price Index, up to a maximum of 8% and a minimum of 1%, for each year the employee remains employed. For further discussion on the service-based company cash contributions under the Thrift Plan, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Post-employment Compensation — Retirement Plans.”


51


Benefits.  Benefits under these plans are calculated as follows:
•    For participating employees originally hired by our Power Generation Systems or Government Operations segment (“Tenured Employees”) before April 1, 1998 — benefits are based on years of credited service and final average cash compensation (including bonuses and commissions).
The present value of accumulated benefits reflected in the Pension Benefit Table above is based on a 6.00% discount rate and the 1994 Group Annuity Mortality Table projected to 2005.
Retirement and Early Retirement.  Under each of these plans, normal retirement is age 65. The normal form of payment is a single-life annuity or a 50% joint and survivor annuity, depending on the employee’s marital status when payments are scheduled to begin. Early retirement eligibility and benefits under these plans depend on the employee’s date of hire. Mr. Fees and Mr. Bethards are each currently eligible for early retirement.
For Tenured Employees hired before April 1, 1998 (which includes Messrs. Fees and Bethards):
•    an employee is eligible for early retirement if the employee has completed at least 15 years of credited service and attained the age of 50; and
•    early retirement benefits are based on the same formula as normal retirement, but the pension benefit is unreduced if the sum of the employee’s age and years of service equals 75 or greater at the date benefits commence; otherwise the pension benefit is reduced 4% for each “point” less than 75.
For employees hired on or after April 1, 1998:
•    an employee is eligible for early retirement after completing at least 15 years of credited service and attaining the age of 55; and
•    early retirement benefits are based on the same formula as normal retirement, but the pension benefit is generally reduced 0.4% for each month that benefits commence before age 62.
Overview of Nonqualified Plans.  To the extent benefits payable under these qualified plans are limited by Section 415(b) or 401(a)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code, pension benefits will be paid directly by our applicable subsidiaries under the terms of unfunded excess benefit plans (the “Excess Plans”) maintained by them. Effective January 1, 2006, the Excess Plans were amended to limit the annual bonus payments taken into account in calculating the Tenured Employees’ Excess Plan benefits to the lesser of the actual bonus paid or 25% of the prior year’s base salary.
•    Mr. Fees participates in the Restoration of Retirement Income Plan for Certain Participants in the Retirement Plan for Employees of McDermott Incorporated; and
•    Mr. Bethards participates in the Restoration of Retirement Income Plan for Certain Participants in the Retirement Plan for Employees of Babcock & Wilcox Governmental Operations.


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Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
The following Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table summarizes our Named Executives’ compensation under our nonqualified supplemental retirement plan. The compensation shown in this table is entirely attributable to the McDermott International, Inc. New Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan, or SERP, established January 1, 2005.
           
  Executive
 Registrant
 Aggregate
 Aggregate
 Aggregate
  Contributions in
 Contributions in
 Earnings
 Withdrawals/
 Balance
Name 2009 2009 in 2009 Distributions at 12/31/09
J.A. Fees $0 $64,774.00 $45,581.95 $0 $285,682.42
M.S. Taff $0 $41,378.00 $34,000.95 $0 $139,978.13
B.C. Bethards $0 $44,948.00 $51,718.71 $0 $446,531.52
S.M. Johnson(1) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
R.A. Deason $0 $60,950.00 $69,928.57 $0 $335,127.93
(1)No information is provided for Mr. Johnson because he is not a participant in the SERP.
Our SERP is an unfunded, defined contribution retirement plan for officers of McDermott and our operating segments selected to participate by our Compensation Committee. Benefits under the SERP are based on the participating officer’s vested percentage in his notional account balance at the time of retirement or termination. An officer generally vests in his SERP account 20% each year, subject to accelerated vesting for death, disability and termination without cause or termination within 24 months following a change in control.
Executive Contributions in 2009.  Employee contributions are not permitted under our SERP.
Registrant Contributions in 2009.  We make annual contributions to participating employees’ notional accounts equal to a percentage of the employee’s prior-year compensation. Under the terms of the SERP, the contribution percentage does not need to be the same for each participant. Additionally, our Compensation Committee may make a discretionary contribution to a participant’s account at any time.
For 2009, our contributions equaled 5% of the Named Executives’ base salaries and annual incentive compensation awards paid in 2008. No discretionary contributions were made in 2009. All our 2009 contributions are included in the Summary Compensation Table above as “All Other Compensation.”
Aggregate Earnings in 2009.  The amount reported in this table as earnings represents hypothetical accrued gains during 2009 on each Named Executive’s account. The accounts are “participant-directed” in that each participating officer personally directs the investment of contributions made on his behalf. As a result, any accrued gains or losses are attributable to the performance of the Named Executive’s notional mutual fund investments.
No amount of the earnings shown is reported as compensation in the Summary Compensation Table.
Aggregate Balance at12/31/09.  The balance of a participating officer’s account consists of contributions made by us and hypothetical accrued gains or losses. The balances shown represent the accumulated account values (including gains and losses) for each Named Executive as of December 31, 2009.
The balances shown include contributions from previous years which have been reported as compensation to the Named Executives in the Summary Compensation Table for those years — to the extent a Named Executive was included in the Summary Compensation Table during those years. The amounts and years reported are as follows:
         
    Amount
Named Executive Year Reported
J.A. Fees  2008  $54,155.00 
   2007  $48,311.00 
M.S. Taff  2008  $31,125.00 
   2007  $20,705.85 
B.C. Bethards  2008  $31,042.00 
   2007   N/A 
R.A. Deason  2008  $51,400.00 
   2007  $46,651.25 


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In May 2009, our Compensation Committee amended the SERP to vest SERP balances unvested on December 31, 2008 (including future gains and losses thereon). Amounts allocated on or after January 1, 2009 vest pursuant to the participant’s vested percentage based upon years of service. Accordingly, as of January 1, 2010, each Named Executive who participates in the SERP is 100% vested in his SERP balance shown, except Mr. Taff, who did not begin participating in our SERP until 2006. He is 92.19% vested in his SERP balance shown (100% vested in amounts allocated to his SERP account as of December 31, 2008 and 80% vested in amounts allocated to his account during 2009).


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Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control
The following tables show potential payments to our Named Executives under existing contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements, whether written or unwritten, for various scenarios under which a payment would be due (assuming each is applicable) involving a change in control or termination of employment of each of our Named Executives, assuming a December 31, 2009 termination date and, where applicable, using the closing price of our common stock of $24.01 (as reported on the New York Stock Exchange) as of December 31, 2009. These tables do not reflect amounts that would be payable to the Named Executives pursuant to benefits or awards that are already vested.
The amounts reported in the below tables for stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock units and performance shares represent the value of unvested and accelerated shares or units, as applicable, calculated by:
•    for stock options: multiplying the number of accelerated options by the difference between the exercise price and $24.01 (the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2009, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange);
•    for restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance shares: multiplying the number of accelerated shares or units by $24.01 (the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2009, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange); and
•    for deferred stock units (which represent a right to receive a cash payment equal to the product of the number of vested units and the average of the highest and lowest sales price of our common stock on the vesting date): multiplying the number of accelerated units by $24.17 (the average price of the highest and lowest price of our common stock on December 31, 2009, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange).
Estimated Value of Benefits to Be Received Upon Termination under the Restructuring Transaction Retention Agreements
The following table shows the estimated value of payments and other benefits due the Named Executives assuming termination under the Restructuring Transaction Retention Agreements, which we refer to as the Retention Agreements, as of December 31, 2009.
                     
  J.A. Fees M.S. Taff B.C. Bethards S.M. Johnson R.A. Deason
Severance Payments $5,382,000.00  $1,717,000.00  $1,789,080.00  $2,775,000.00  $42,692.31 
EICP $900,000.00  $353,500.00  $368,340.00  $637,500.00   —      
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP)  —       $10,934.53   —        —        —      
Benefits $26,781.12  $35,837.50  $21,738.24  $8,230.80   —      
Thrift Plan  —        —        —       $16,398.89   —      
Stock Options (unvested and accelerated) $3,867,965.28  $1,070,388.72  $917,548.92  $773,221.14   —      
Restricted Stock (unvested and accelerated) $789,448.80  $110,277.93  $479,071.53   —        —      
Restricted Stock Units (unvested and accelerated) $5,003,491.92  $1,384,632.69  $1,186,910.34  $2,232,569.85   —      
Deferred Stock Units (unvested and accelerated)  —        —        —        —        —      
Performance Shares (unvested and accelerated) $7,165,856.53  $1,398,222.35  $1,027,411.91  $1,292,074.14   —      
TaxGross-Up
  —        —        —        —        —      
                     
Total
 $23,135,543.65  $6,080,793.72  $5,790,100.94  $7,734,994.82  $42,692.31 
This table assumes the Named Executive was terminated on December 31, 2009 in connection with the proposed spin-off of B&W, as announced on December 7, 2009. In contemplation of the proposed spin-off, on December 10, 2009, we entered into Retention Agreements with certain key members of our management, including each of our Named Executives (with the exception of Mr. Deason, who had previously announced his retirement). The Retention Agreements provide either a retention or severance payment to these employees in connection with the disposition of all or substantially all of the stock or assets of B&W or J. Ray McDermott, S.A. (whether by a spin-off, sale or otherwise), which we have referred to as a “restructuring transaction” in the Retention Agreements. In the event the applicable employee is terminated prior to the first anniversary of the effective date of the restructuring transaction, either (1) by the employer company for any reason other than cause or disability or (2) by the employee for good reason, the


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employer company is required to pay the Named Executive a cash severance payment, an EICP payment, 200% of the annual cost of coverage for medical, dental and vision benefits, and an amount equal to the unvested portion of the Named Executive’s Thrift Plan account. The Named Executive will also receive accelerated vesting with respect to his outstanding equity awards. In the event the restructuring transaction turns out to be a sale, if the Named Executive is subject to an excise tax, then he may be entitled to receive a taxgross-up to the extent provided by the terms of hischange-in-control agreement. For more information, see “Estimated Value of Benefits to be Received Upon Change in Control” below.
Under the Retention Agreements, “cause” is defined as:
•    the willful and continued failure of the employee to perform substantially the employee’s duties (occasioned by reason other than physical or mental illness or disability of the employee) after a written demand for substantial performance is delivered to the employee by the Compensation Committee of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer which specifically identifies the manner in which the Compensation Committee of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer believes that the employee has not substantially performed his or her duties, after which the employee will have 30 days to defend or remedy such failure to substantially perform his or her duties;
•    the willful engaging by employee in illegal conduct or gross misconduct which is materially and demonstrably injurious to the employer; or
•    the conviction of the employee with no further possibility of appeal, or plea ofnolo contendereby the employee to, any felony or crime of falsehood.
Severance Payment.  The severance payment that may be made to each Named Executive in connection with his termination of employment following a restructuring transaction is a cash payment equal to 200% (299% in the case of Mr. Fees) of the sum of his annual base salary prior to termination and his EICP target award applicable to the year in which the termination occurs. For a hypothetical termination as of December 31, 2009, the severance payment under a restructuring transaction would have been calculated in the same manner as a severance payment under a change in control. For more information, see “Estimated Value of Benefits to be Received Upon Change in Control — Severance Payment.” Severance payments under a restructuring transaction are in lieu of any payment under any severance policy generally applicable to the salaried employees of McDermott.
Because of his previously mentioned retirement, Mr. Deason did not enter into a Retention Agreement. However Mr. Deason would be due a severance payment in the event he was involuntarily terminated without cause. Under our Severance Plan for Employees of McDermott Incorporated and Participating Subsidiary and Affiliated Companies, full-time employees of McDermott and participating subsidiaries are entitled to receive a severance benefit in the event their employment is terminated because of the elimination of a previously required position or previously required service, or due to the consolidation of departments, abandonment of plants or offices, or technological change or declining business activities, where such termination is intended to be permanent. The amount of severance benefit is determined based on the length of service and the employee’s base salary. In general, an eligible employee is entitled to a severance benefit of one half week of base salary for each year of service, subject to a maximum of 14 weeks of pay.
EICP Payment.  The EICP Payment that may be made to each Named Executive in connection with his termination of employment following a restructuring transaction is calculated in the same manner as an EICP Payment under a change in control. For more information, see “Estimated Value of Benefits to be Received Upon Change in Control — EICP Payment” below.
Benefits.  The amounts reported represent two times the full annual cost of coverage for medical, dental and vision benefits provided to the Named Executive and the Named Executive’s covered dependents for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Thrift Plan.  The amounts reported represent the unvested portion of the Named Executive’s Thrift Plan account balance as of December 31, 2009.
Equity Awards.  The amounts reported for stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance shares represent the value of unvested and accelerated shares or units, as applicable, for the 2008 and 2009 grants of such awards. The amounts reported for the 2008 and 2009 performance share grants represent the value of such grants calculated as to the initial grant of the shares.
 


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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Estimated Value of Benefits to Be Received Upon Normal Retirement
The following table shows the estimated value of payments and other benefits due the Named Executives assuming their retirement as of December 31, 2009. This table does not reflect amounts that would be payable to the Named Executives pursuant to benefits or awards that are already vested; for example, pension benefits. See the “Pension Benefits” table above for more information on pension benefits.
                     
  J.A. Fees M.S. Taff B.C. Bethards S.M. Johnson R.A. Deason
Severance Payments  —    —    —        —     —  
EICP  —    —    —        —    —  
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP)  —    —    —        —    —  
Stock Options (unvested and accelerated)  —    —    —        —    —  
Restricted Stock (unvested and accelerated)  —     —   $119,767.88    —     —  
Restricted Stock Units (unvested and accelerated)  —    —    —        —    —  
Deferred Stock Units (unvested and accelerated)  —    —    —        —    —  
Performance Shares (unvested and accelerated)  —    —   $467,700.39   —    —  
TaxGross-Up
  —    —    —        —    —  
                     
Total
 $0.00  $0.00  $587,468.27  $0.00  $0.00 
SERP.  Under the terms of the SERP, participants are eligible for retirement upon attaining age 65. None of the Named Executives are eligible for retirement under the terms of the SERP.
Equity Awards.  Generally, the terms of our stock and option award grants define retirement as a voluntary termination of employment after attaining age 60 and completing 10 years of service with McDermott. Under this definition, the only Named Executive eligible for retirement as of a December 31, 2009 is Mr. Bethards. The outstanding grants of restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance shares and the unvested grants of stock options provide for accelerated vesting of a percentage of the Named Executive’s outstanding shares and units if his retirement date is on or after the first anniversary of the grant date, and a greater percentage of accelerated vesting if his retirement date is on or after the second anniversary of the grant date. The amounts shown for performance shares are based on the number of shares initially granted. The number of shares that will ultimately vest may be more or less than the initial grant, based upon the performance level attained. The outstanding grants of deferred stock units vest 100% upon termination due to normal retirement under a funded or unfunded retirement plan of McDermott or any subsidiary. None of the Named Executives are eligible for accelerated vesting of deferred stock units.


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Estimated Value of Benefits to Be Received Upon Termination Due to Death or Disability
The following table shows the value of payments and other benefits due the Named Executives assuming their death or disability as of December 31, 2009.
                     
  J.A. Fees  M.S. Taff  B.C. Bethards  S.M. Johnson  R.A. Deason 
Severance Payments   —        —        —        —        —      
EICP  —        —        —        —        —      
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP)  —       $10,934.53   —        —        —      
Stock Options (unvested and accelerated) $3,867,965.28  $1,070,388.72  $917,548.92  $773,221.14   —      
Restricted Stock (unvested and accelerated) $789,448.80  $110,277.93  $479,071.53    —   $121,970.80 
Restricted Stock Units (unvested and accelerated) $5,003,491.92  $1,384,632.69  $1,186,910.34  $2,232,569.85   —      
Deferred Stock Units (unvested and accelerated) $221,155.50  $108,765.00   —        —       $198,822.42 
Performance Shares (unvested and accelerated) $8,183,880.53  $1,926,442.35  $1,738,107.91  $1,292,074.14  $1,543,122.70 
TaxGross-Up  —        —        —        —        —      
                     
Total $18,065,942.03  $4,611,441.22  $4,321,638.70  $4,297,865.13  $1,863,915.92 
SERP.  The amount reported represents Mr. Taff’s SERP balance as of December 31, 2009 that becomes vested on death and disability. All other Named Executives, with the exception of Mr. Johnson, were 100% vested in their SERP balance as of December 31, 2009. Mr. Johnson does not participate in the SERP.
Equity Awards.  Under the terms of the awards outstanding for each Named Executive as of December 31, 2009, all unvested stock awards become vested and all unvested option awards become vested and exercisable on death or disability.


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Estimated Value of Benefits to Be Received Upon Change in Control
The following table shows the estimated value of payments and other benefits due the Named Executives assuming a change in control and termination as of December 31, 2009.
                     
  J.A. Fees  M.S. Taff  B.C. Bethards  S.M. Johnson  R.A. Deason 
Severance Payments $5,382,000.00  $1,717,000.00  $1,789,080.00  $2,775,000.00  $1,887,000.00 
EICP $900,000.00  $353,500.00  $368,340.00  $637,500.00  $388,500.00 
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP)  —       $10,934.53   —        N/A   —      
Benefits $26,781.12  $35,837.50  $21,738.24  $8,230.80  $26,728.98 
Stock Options (unvested and accelerated) $3,867,965.28  $1,070,388.72  $917,548.92  $773,221.14   —      
Restricted Stock (unvested and accelerated) $789,448.80  $110,277.93  $479,071.53   —       $121,970.80 
Restricted Stock Units (unvested and accelerated) $5,003,491.92  $1,384,632.69  $1,186,910.34  $2,232,569.85   —      
Deferred Stock Units (unvested and accelerated) $221,155.50  $108,765.00   —    ��   —       $198,822.42 
Performance Shares (unvested and accelerated) $13,323,773.26  $2,991,886.10  $2,780,406.02  $2,584,148.28  $1,984,906.70 
TaxGross-Up
 $7,357,321.56  $2,002,180.42  $2,164,376.03   N/A  $0.00 
 
Total
 $36,871,937.44  $9,785,402.89  $9,707,471.08  $9,010,670.07  $4,607,928.90 
We havechange-in-control agreements with various officers, including each of our Named Executives. Generally, under these agreements, if a Named Executive is terminated within one year following a change in control either (1) by the company for any reason other than cause or death or disability; or (2) by the Named Executive for good reason, the company is required to pay the Named Executive a cash severance payment, an EICP payment and, if applicable, a taxgross-up payment. In addition to these payments, the Named Executive would be entitled to various accrued benefits earned through the date of termination, such as earned but unpaid salary, earned but unused vacation and reimbursements.
Under these agreements, a “change in control” occurs if:
•    a person (other than a McDermott employee benefit plan or a corporation owned by McDermott stockholders in substantially the same proportion as their ownership of McDermott voting shares) becomes the beneficial owner of 30% or more of the combined voting power of McDermott’s then outstanding voting stock;
•    during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute McDermott’s Board of Directors, and any new director whose election or nomination by McDermott’s Board was approved by at least two-thirds of the directors of McDermott’s Board then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination was previously approved, cease to constitute a majority of McDermott’s Board;
•    McDermott’s stockholders approve: (1) a merger or consolidation of McDermott with another company, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in McDermott’s voting securities outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent at least 50% of the voting stock of McDermott or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; (2) a plan of complete liquidation of McDermott; or (3) an agreement for the sale or disposition by McDermott of all or substantially all of McDermott’s assets; or
•    any other set of circumstances is deemed by the Board in its sole discretion to constitute a change in control.
Severance Payment.  The severance payment made to each Named Executive, with the exception of Mr. Fees, in connection with a change in control is a cash payment equal to 200% of the sum of his annual base salary prior to termination and his EICP target award applicable to the year in which the termination occurs. The severance payment made to Mr. Fees in connection with a change in control is a cash payment equal to 299% of the sum of his annual base salary


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prior to termination and his EICP target award applicable to the year in which the termination occurs. For a hypothetical termination as of December 31, 2009, the severance payment under a change in control would have been calculated based on the following base salary and target EICP awards:
•    Mr. Fees: $900,000 base salary and $900,000 target EICP (100% of $900,000);
•    Mr. Taff: $505,000 base salary and $353,500 target EICP (70% of $505,000);
•    Mr. Bethards: $526,200 base salary and $368,340 target EICP (70% of $526,200);
•    Mr. Johnson: $750,000 base salary and $637,500 target EICP (85% of $750,000); and
•    Mr. Deason: $555,000 base salary and $388,500 target EICP (70% of $555,000).
EICP Payment.  The EICP is an annual cash-based performance incentive plan under which payments are made in the year following the year in which performance is measured. For example, 2009 EICP awards are paid in 2010 for performance achieved during 2009. As a result, depending on the timing of the termination relative to the payment of an EICP award, a Named Executive could receive up to two EICP payments in connection with a change in control, as follows:
•    If an EICP award for the year prior to termination is paid to other EICP participants after the date of the Named Executive’s termination, the Named Executive would be entitled to a cash payment equal to the product of the Named Executive’s EICP target percentage and the Named Executive’s annual base salary for the applicable period. No such payment would have been due a Named Executive on a December 31, 2009 termination, because the 2008 EICP awards had already been paid prior to the Named Executive’s termination date.
•    The Named Executive would be entitled to a prorated EICP payment based upon the Named Executive’s target award for the year in which the termination occurs and the number of days in which the executive was employed with us during that year. Based on a hypothetical December 31, 2009 termination, each Named Executive would have been entitled to an EICP payment equal to 100% of his 2009 target EICP. See the schedule of target EICP amounts for each Named Executive under “Severance Payment” above.
SERP.  The amount reported represents Mr. Taff’s SERP balance as of December 31, 2009 that would become vested in connection with a termination of employment following a change in control. As discussed under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Post-employment Compensation — Retirement Plans — Supplemental Plans,” Mr. Taff was 100% vested in amounts allocated to his account as of December 31, 2008 and was 80% vested in amounts allocated to his account during 2009. The amount shown would be due to Mr. Taff if he is terminated without cause within one year after a change in control. All other Named Executives, with the exception of Mr. Johnson, are 100% vested in their SERP balance. Mr. Johnson does not participate in the SERP. Under the SERP, a “change in control” occurs under the same circumstances described above with respect to our change in control agreements.
Benefits.  The amounts reported represent two times the full annual cost of coverage for medical, dental and vision benefits provided to the Named Executive and the Named Executive’s covered dependents for the year ended December 31, 2009.
TaxGross-Up.  If any payment is subject to the excise tax imposed by section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, we would reimburse the affected Named Executive for all excise taxes imposed under section 4999 and any income and excise taxes that are payable as a result of such reimbursement. The calculation of thesection 4999 gross-up amount in the above table is based upon a section 4999 excise tax rate of 20%, a 35% federal income tax rate, a 1.45% Medicare tax rate and a state income tax rate of 7.75% for Mr. Bethards. Based on the amounts reported, Mr. Deason would not have an excise tax liability. Mr. Johnson’s change in control agreement does not contain a taxgross-up provision.
Equity Awards.  Under the terms of the awards outstanding, all unvested restricted stock, restricted stock units and deferred stock units would become vested on a change in control, regardless of whether there is a subsequent termination of employment. All unvested stock options would become vested and exercisable on a change in control, regardless of whether there is a subsequent termination of employment. Performance shares are subject to accelerated vesting on a change in control, regardless of whether there is a subsequent termination of employment. Under our 2001 D&O Plan and 2009 LTIP, a “change in control” occurs under the same circumstances described above with respect to ourchange-in-control agreements.


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Security Ownership of Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned as of March 1, 2010 by each director or nominee as a director, and each Named Executive and all our directors and executive officers as a group, including shares that those persons have the right to acquire within 60 days on the vesting of restricted stock units or the exercise of stock options.
Shares
Beneficially
NameOwned
Brandon C. Bethards (1)87,667
John F. Bookout III (2)27,046
Roger A. Brown (3)46,226
Ronald C. Cambre (4)29,690
Robert A. Deason (5)211,902
John A. Fees (6)373,722
Robert W. Goldman (7)21,596
Stephen G. Hanks6,335
Stephen M. Johnson (8)18,849
Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr. (9)40,676
D. Bradley McWilliams (10)60,566
Adm. Richard W. Mies7,842
Thomas C. Schievelbein (11)57,891
Michael S. Taff (12)97,439
David A. Trice6,060
All directors and executive officers as a group (21 persons) (13)1,655,781
(1)Shares owned by Mr. Bethards include 23,383 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 19,953 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power, 16,478 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 416 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.
(2)Shares owned by Mr. Bookout include 3,150 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, and 1,350 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power.
(3)Shares owned by Mr. Brown include 19,650 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.
(4)Shares owned by Mr. Cambre include 1,350 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power.
(5)Shares owned by Mr. Deason include 30,540 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 5,080 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power and 568 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.
(6)Shares owned by Mr. Fees include 98,572 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 32,880 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power, 69,464 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 17,690 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.
(7)Shares owned by Mr. Goldman include 4,950 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, and 1,350 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power.
(8)Shares owned by Mr. Johnson include 449 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.


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(9)Shares owned by Mr. Kingsley include 19,950 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.
(10)Shares owned by Mr. McWilliams include 37,876 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.
(11)Shares owned by Mr. Schievelbein include 37,426 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.
(12)Shares owned by Mr. Taff include 50,278 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 4,593 restricted shares of common stock as to which he has sole voting power but no dispositive power, 19,223 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 1,596 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.
(13)Shares owned by all directors and executive officers as a group include 382,755 shares of common stock that may be acquired on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 91,541 restricted shares of common stock as to which they have sole voting power but no dispositive power, 145,319 shares of common stock that will be acquired on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 42,506 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.
Shares beneficially owned in all cases constituted less than one percent of the outstanding shares of common stock on March 1, 2010, as determined in accordance withRule 13d-3(d)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners
The following table furnishes information concerning all persons known by us to beneficially own 5% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, which is our only class of voting stock outstanding:
           
    Amount and
  
    Nature of
  
    Beneficial
 Percent of
Title of Class Name and Address of Beneficial Owner Ownership Class(1)
Common Stock T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. 100 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
  28,706,971(2)  12.44%
           
Common Stock PRIMECAP Management Company
225 South Lake Ave., #400,
Pasadena, CA 91101
  13,114,160(3)  5.68%
           
Common Stock BlackRock Inc.
40 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022
  11,944,038(4)  5.17%
(1)Percent is based on outstanding shares of our common stock on March 1, 2010.
(2)As reported on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2010. The Schedule 13G reports beneficial ownership of 28,706,971 shares of our common stock, sole voting power over 7,314,005 shares and sole dispositive power over 28,706,971 shares.
(3)As reported on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 11, 2010. The Schedule 13G/A reports beneficial ownership of 13,114,160 shares of our common stock and sole voting power over 7,472,760 shares and sole dispositive power over 13,114,160 shares.
(4)As reported on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 29, 2010. The Schedule 13G reports beneficial ownership of 11,944,038 shares of our common stock and sole voting power and sole dispositive power over 11,944,038 shares.


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Audit Committee Report
The Board of Directors appoints an Audit Committee to review McDermott International, Inc.’s financial matters. Each member of the Audit Committee meets the independence requirements established by the New York Stock Exchange. The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm. We are also responsible for recommending to the Board that McDermott’s audited financial statements be included in its Annual Report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year.

In making our recommendation that McDermott’s financial statements be included in its Annual Report onForm 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009,2011, we have taken the following steps:

We discussed with Deloitte & Touche LLP (“D&T”), McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2011, those matters required to be discussed by Statements on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended, issued by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, including information regarding the scope and results of the audit. These communications and discussions are intended to assist us in overseeing the financial reporting and disclosure process.

We conducted periodic executive sessions with D&T, with no members of McDermott management present during those discussions. D&T did not identify any material audit issues, questions or discrepancies, other than those previously discussed with management, which were resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.

•    We discussed with Deloitte & Touche LLP (“D&T”), McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2009, those matters required to be discussed by Statements on Auditing Standards Nos. 61 and 90, each as amended, issued by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, including information regarding the scope and results of the audit. These communications and discussions are intended to assist us in overseeing the financial reporting and disclosure process.
•    We conducted periodic executive sessions with D&T, with no members of McDermott management present during those discussions. D&T did not identify any material audit issues, questions or discrepancies, other than those previously discussed with management, which were resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.
•    We conducted periodic executive sessions with McDermott’s internal audit department and regularly received reports regarding McDermott’s internal control procedures.
•    We reviewed, and discussed with McDermott’s management and D&T, management’s report and D&T’s report and attestation on internal control over financial reporting, each of which was prepared in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
•    We received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from D&T required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding D&T’s communications with the audit committee concerning D&T’s independence from McDermott, and have discussed with D&T their independence from McDermott. We also considered whether the provision of nonaudit services to McDermott is compatible with D&T’s independence.
•    We determined that there were no former D&T employees, who previously participated in the McDermott audit, engaged in a financial reporting oversight role at McDermott.
•    We reviewed, and discussed with McDermott’s management and D&T, McDermott’s audited consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2009, and consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows and stockholders’ equity for the year ended December 31, 2009.

We conducted periodic executive sessions with McDermott’s internal audit department and regularly received reports regarding McDermott’s internal control procedures.

We reviewed, and discussed with McDermott’s management and D&T, management’s report and D&T’s report and attestation on internal control over financial reporting, each of which was prepared in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

We received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from D&T required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding D&T’s communications with the audit committee concerning D&T’s independence from McDermott, and have discussed with D&T its independence from McDermott. We also considered whether the provision of non-audit services to McDermott is compatible with D&T’s independence.

We determined that there were no former D&T employees, who previously participated in the McDermott audit, engaged in a financial reporting oversight role at McDermott.

We reviewed, and discussed with McDermott’s management and D&T, McDermott’s audited consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2011, and consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows and stockholders’ equity for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Based on the reviews and actions described above, we recommended to the Board that McDermott’s audited financial statements be included in its Annual Report onForm 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20092011 for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

David A. Trice, Chairman

Stephen G. Hanks

D. Bradley McWilliams Chairman

Robert W. Goldman
Stephen G. Hanks
Richard W. Mies
David A. Trice


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RATIFICATIONOF APPOINTMENTOF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRMFOR YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2012

(ITEM 3)

Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
for Year Ending December 31, 2010
(Item 2)
Our Board of Directors has ratified the decision of the Audit Committee to appoint Deloitte & Touche LLP to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2010.2012. Although we are not required to seek stockholder approval of this appointment, it has been our practice to do so. No determination has been made as to what action the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors would take if our stockholders fail to ratify the appointment. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee retains discretion to appoint a new independent registered public accounting firm at any time if the Audit Committee concludes such a change would be in the best interests of McDermott. We expect that representativesRepresentatives of Deloitte & Touche LLPD&T will be present at the Annual Meeting and will have an opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and to respond to appropriate questions.

For the years ended December 31, 20092011 and 2008,2010, McDermott paid Deloitte & Touche fees, including expenses and taxes, totaling $8,649,858$3,621,356 and $8,097,071,$5,888,537, which can be categorized as follows:

         
  2009  2008 
Audit
        
The Audit fees for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 were for professional services rendered for the audits of the consolidated financial statements of McDermott, the audit of McDermott’s internal control over financial reporting, statutory and subsidiary audits, reviews of the quarterly consolidated financial statements of McDermott and assistance with review of documents filed with the SEC. $7,195,103  $7,208,475 
Audit-Related
        
The Audit-Related fees for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 were for assurance and related services, employee benefit plan audits and advisory services related to Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance. $271,405  $12,300 
Tax
        
The Tax fees for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 were for professional services rendered for consultations on various U.S. federal, state and international tax matters, international tax compliance and tax planning, and assistance with tax examinations. $916,131  $807,046 
All Other
        
The fees for All Other services for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 were for professional services rendered for translation services and other advisory or consultation services not related to audit or tax. $267,219  $69,250 
Total
 $8,649,858  $8,097,071 

    2011   2010 

Audit

    

The Audit fees for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were for professional services rendered for the audits of the consolidated financial statements of McDermott, the audit of McDermott’s internal control over financial reporting, statutory and subsidiary audits, reviews of the quarterly consolidated financial statements of McDermott and assistance with review of documents filed with the SEC.

  $3,220,477    $3,992,500(1) 

Audit-Related

    

The Audit-Related fees for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were for assurance and related services, employee benefit plan audits and advisory services related to Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance.

  $114,367    $518,205(2) 

Tax

    

The Tax fees for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were for professional services rendered for consultations on various U.S. federal, state and international tax matters, international tax compliance and tax planning, and assistance with tax examinations.

  $286,512    $1,232,498(3) 

All Other

    

The fees for All Other services for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were for professional services rendered for translation services and other advisory or consultation services not related to audit or tax.

  $0    $145,334(4) 

Total

  $3,621,356    $5,888,537  

(1)Audit fees for 2010 include $215,000 of fees paid by McDermott attributable to the audit of B&W.

(2)Audit-Related fees for 2010 include $480,205 of fees paid by McDermott attributable to audit-related services for B&W.

(3)Tax fees for 2010 include $91,800 of fees paid by McDermott attributable to tax services for B&W.

(4)All Other fees for 2010 include $140,000 of fees paid by McDermott attributable to other services for B&W.

It is the policy of our Audit Committee to preapprove all audit, review or attest engagements and permissible non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, subject to, and in compliance with, thede minimisexception for non-audit services described in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC. Our Audit Committee did not rely on thede minimisexception for any of the fees disclosed above.

Recommendation and Vote Required

Our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” the ratification of the decision of our Audit Committee to appoint Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2010.2012. The proxy holders will vote all proxies received for approval of this proposal unless instructed otherwise. Approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote and actually voting on this proposal at the Annual


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Meeting. Because abstentions are counted as present for purposesnot actual votes with respect to this proposal, they have no effect on the outcome of the vote on this matter but are not votes “FOR” this proposal, theyproposal.

SECURITY OWNERSHIPOF DIRECTORSAND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned as of February 29, 2012 by each director or nominee as a director, and each Named Executive and all our directors and executive officers as a group, including shares that those persons have the same effectright to acquire within 60 days on the vesting of restricted stock units or the exercise of stock options.

Name

Shares

Beneficially

Owned

John F. Bookout, III(1)

40,106

Roger A. Brown(2)

74,766

Gary L. Carlson(3)

44,423

Perry L. Elders(4)

41,030

Stephen G. Hanks

16,620

Liane K. Hinrichs(5)

205,715

Stephen M. Johnson(6)

514,834

D. Bradley McWilliams(7)

70,671

John T. McCormack(8)

70,845

John T. Nesser(9)

409,470

Thomas C. Schievelbein(10)

103,108

Mary Shafer-Malicki

6,790

David A. Trice

16,165

All directors and executive officers as a group (16 persons)(11)

1,938,545

(1)Shares owned by Mr. Bookout include 6,105 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.

(2)Shares owned by Mr. Brown include 38,085 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.

(3)Shares owned by Mr. Carlson include 20,064 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 14,654 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 42 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.

(4)Shares owned by Mr. Elders include 28,274 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 3,250 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 27 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.

(5)Shares owned by Ms. Hinrichs include 64,772 shares of common stock that she may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 65,975 shares of common stock that she will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 2,980 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.

(6)Shares owned by Mr. Johnson include 297,605 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 44,831 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 637 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.

(7)Shares owned by Mr. McWilliams include 37,876 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.

(8)Shares owned by Mr. McCormack include 34,994 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 34,546 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 1,305 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.

(9)Shares owned by Mr. Nesser include 62,121 shares of common stock held in a grantor retained annuity trust of which he is trustee and has indirect beneficial ownership, 69,717 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above, and 8,276 shares of common stock that he will acquire on the vesting of restricted stock units.

(10)Shares owned by Mr. Schievelbein include 72,538 shares of common stock that he may acquire on the exercise of stock options, as described above.

(11)Shares owned by all directors and executive officers as a group include 792,219 shares of common stock that may be acquired on the exercise of stock options, as described above, 213,188 shares of common stock that may be acquired on the vesting of restricted stock units, as described above, and 23,172 shares of common stock held in the McDermott Thrift Plan.

Shares beneficially owned in all cases constituted less than one percent of the outstanding shares of common stock on February 29, 2012, as votes “AGAINST” this proposal.

determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

SECURITY OWNERSHIPOF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS

The following table furnishes information concerning all persons known by us to beneficially own 5% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, which is our only class of voting stock outstanding:

Title of ClassName and Address of Beneficial Owner

Amount
and

Nature of

Beneficial

Ownership

Percent of

Class(1)

Common Stock

T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.

100 E. Pratt Street

Baltimore, MD 21202

37,243,988(2)15.84

Common Stock

BlackRock, Inc.

40 East 52nd Street

New York, NY 10022

15,391,846(3)6.55

Common Stock

Artisan Partners Holdings LP

875 East Wisconsin Avenue

Suite 800

Milwaukee, WI 53202

13,551,800(4)5.77

Common Stock

PRIMECAP Management Company

225 South Lake Ave., #400

Pasadena, CA 91101

12,406,760(5)5.28

Common Stock

FMR LLC

82 Devonshire Street

Boston, MA 02109

11,820,617(6)5.03

(1)Percent is based on outstanding shares of our common stock on February 29, 2012.

(2)As reported on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 10, 2012. The Schedule 13G/A reports beneficial ownership of 37,243,988 shares of our common stock by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“Price Associates”), which has sole voting power over 8,642,022 shares and sole dispositive power over 37,243,988 shares. These securities are owned by various individual and institutional investors, including T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth Fund, which has sole voting power over 13,000,000 shares and sole dispositive power over no shares, for which Price Associates serves as an investment adviser with power to direct investments and/or sole power to vote the securities. For the purposes of the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Price Associates is deemed to be the beneficial owner of such securities; however, Price Associates expressly disclaims that it is, in fact, the beneficial owner of such securities.

(3)As reported on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2012. The Schedule 13G/A reports beneficial ownership of 15,391,846 shares of our common stock and sole voting power and sole dispositive power over 15,391,846 shares.

(4)As reported on Schedule 13G filed on February 7, 2012. The Schedule 13G reports beneficial ownership of 13,551,800 shares of our common stock, shared voting power over 13,219,900 shares and shared dispositive power over 13,551,800 shares.

(5)As reported on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2012. The Schedule 13G/A reports beneficial ownership of 12,406,760 shares of our common stock, sole voting power over 6,929,160 shares and sole dispositive power over 12,406,760 shares.

(6)As reported on Schedule 13G filed jointly by FMR LLC, Edward C. Johnson 3d and Fidelity Management & Research Company with the SEC on February 14, 2012. According to the Schedule 13G, FMR LLC has sole voting power over 880,417 shares and sole dispositive power over 11,820,617 shares. Of the shares reported, 10,940,200 shares are beneficially owned by Fidelity Management & Research Company, an investment adviser and a wholly-owned subsidiary of FMR LLC, as a result of acting as investment advisor to various investment companies (collectively, the “Fidelity Funds”); and each of FMR LLC and Mr. Edward C. Johnson 3d exercise sole dispositive power and the Fidelity Funds’ Board of Trustees exercises sole voting power with respect to these shares. In addition, FMR LLC and Mr. Edward C. Johnson 3d each exercise sole dispositive power and sole voting power with respect to 454 shares.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPSAND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

Pursuant to our Code of Business Conduct, all employees (including our Named Executives) who have, or whose immediate family members have, any direct or indirect financial or other participation in any business that competes with, supplies goods or services to, or is a customer, of McDermott, are required to disclose to us and receive written approval from our Corporate Ethics and Compliance department prior to transacting such business. Our employees are expected to make reasoned and impartial decisions in the workplace. As a result, approval of the business is denied if we believe that the employee’s interest in such business could influence decisions relative to our business, or have the potential to adversely affect our business or the objective performance of the employee’s work. Our Corporate Ethics and Compliance department implements our Code of Business Conduct and related policies and the Governance Committee of our Board is responsible for overseeing our Ethics and Compliance Program, including compliance with our Code of Business Conduct. Our Board members are also responsible for complying with our Code of Business Conduct. Additionally, our Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing the professional occupations and associations of our Board members and reviews transactions between McDermott and other companies with which our Board members are affiliated. To obtain a copy of our Code of Business Conduct, please see the “Corporate Governance” section above in this proxy statement.

Our grant agreements for restricted stock units awarded under various long-term incentive plans provide that the withholding obligation of any applicable federal, state or other taxes that may be due on the vesting of those awards be satisfied by the grantee returning to us the number of such vested shares having a fair market value equal to the amount of such taxes. Accordingly, in the year ending December 31, 2012, this withholding method will apply to an aggregate of 209,208 shares held by Mr. Johnson, 16,137 shares held by Mr. Elders, 14,654 shares held by Mr. Carlson, 10,302 shares held by Mr. Cummins, 65,975 shares held by Ms. Hinrichs, 15,577 shares held by Mr. Daniel M. Houser, 37,232 shares held by Mr. McCormack, 10,057 shares held by Mr. Mitchell and 21,297 shares held by Mr. Roll.

In the year ended December 31, 2011, a similar withholding method applied with respect to certain of

Each of

our grant agreements, and Messrs. Fees, Taff, Bethards, Deason, S. Johnson, Baldwin, P. Johnson, Lewis,Elders, Houser, McCormack, Mitchell, Nesser and Roll and Ms. Hinrichs has irrevocably elected to satisfy withholding obligations relating to all or a portion of any applicable federal, state or other taxes that maywould be due on the vesting in the year ending December 31, 2010 of certain shares of restricted stock and restricted stock units and performance shares awarded under various long-term incentive plans by returning to usthat did not provide for a withholding method in the number of such vested shares having a fair market value equal to the amount of such taxes.same manner. These elections which applywere subject to an aggregate of 149,504 shares held by Mr. Fees, 54,519 shares held by Mr. Taff, 70,854 shares held by Mr. Bethards, 30,995 shares held by Mr. S. Johnson, 57,740 shares held by Mr. Deason, 21,270 shares held by Mr. Baldwin, 48,366 shares held by Ms. Hinrichs, 9,297 shares held by Mr. P. Johnson, 16,712 shares held by Mr. Lewis and 65,048 shares held by Mr. Nesser, are subject tothe approval of the Compensation Committee of our Board, which approval was granted. In the year ended December 31, 2009, a similar election was made whichAccordingly, this withholding method applied to an aggregate of 110,940205,316 shares held by Mr. Fees, 27,047Johnson, 12,887 shares held by Mr. Taff, 32,477Elders, 13,137 shares held by Mr. Bethards, 156,540Carlson, 9,165 shares held by Mr. Deason, 700 shares held by Mr. Baldwin, 23,177Cummins, 119,901 shares held by Ms. Hinrichs, 90019,452 shares held by Mr. P. Johnson, 18,664Houser, 29,822 shares held by Mr. Lewis and 44,837McCormack, 14,021 shares held by Mr. Mitchell, 85,423 shares held by Mr. Nesser that vested in the year ended December 31, 2009. Those elections were also approvedand 21,479 shares held by the Compensation Committee. Mr. Roll.

We expect any transfers reflecting shares of restrictedMcDermott stock returned to us will be reported in the SEC filings made by those transferring holders who are obligated to report transactions in our securities under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Additionally, during 2011, the Investment Committee of the McDermott Master Trust (the “Trust”), the funding vehicle underlying the Retirement Plan, entered into an agreement with BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BlackRock”), pursuant to which BlackRock agreed to manage the investment of a portion of the Trust assets. BlackRock is a subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. and, collectively with certain other subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc., owned approximately 6.55% of McDermott common stock on December 31, 2011 as reported on BlackRock, Inc.’s Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2012. The amount of Trust assets under management with BlackRock may vary from time to time. As of December 31, 2011, the value of the Trust assets under management with BlackRock was approximately $78.6 million. BlackRock receives a fee for investment management services for the portion of the Trust assets allocated to BlackRock. These fees are calculated quarterly in arrears by averaging the account’s prior three month-end market values and applying 25% of the annual fee schedule (6.0 basis points), or 1.5 basis points quarterly.

 

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Compliance

The Investment Committee of the Trust is a fiduciary of the Retirement Plan appointed by McDermott’s subsidiary that maintains the Retirement Plan. The Investment Committee is responsible for the management and control of the Trust assets and is authorized to appoint fund managers under the

terms of the Retirement Plan and the Trust. Selection of fund managers is performed with the assistance of a third party investment consulting firm, in accordance with an investment policy statement approved and adopted by the Investment Committee.

 

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who own 10% or more of our voting stock, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership of our equity securities with the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange. Directors, executive officers and 10% or more holders are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on a review

of the copies of those forms furnished to us, or written representations that no forms were required, we believe that our directors, executive officers and 10% or more beneficial owners complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements during the year ended December 31, 2009.2011, with the exception of Ms. Hinrichs, who filed one late Form 4 reporting one open market sale transaction.

 


65


STOCKHOLDERS’ PROPOSALS

Stockholders’ Proposals
Any stockholder who wishes to have a qualified proposal considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for our 20112013 Annual Meeting must send notice of the proposal to our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive office no later than November 26, 2010.30, 2012. If you make such a proposal, you must provide your name, address, the number of shares of common stock you hold of record or beneficially, the date or dates on which such common stock was acquired and documentary support for any claim of beneficial ownership.

In addition, any stockholder who intends to submit a proposal for consideration at our 20112013 Annual Meeting, but not for inclusion in our proxy materials, or who intends to submit nominees for election as directors at the meeting must notify our Corporate Secretary. Under our By-Laws, such notice must (1) be received at our executive offices no earlier than November 8, 201011, 2012 or later than January 7, 201110, 2013, and (2) satisfy specified requirements. A copy of the pertinent By-Law provisions can be found on our Web site atwww.mcdermott.comat “Corporate“About Us — Leadership & Corporate Governance — Governance Policies.Corporate Governance.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

-s- Liane K. Hinrichs

LIANE K. HINRICHS

Secretary
Dated: March 26, 2010


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Secretary

(McDERMOTT LOGO)
 

Dated: March 30, 2012

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(IMAGE)
*** Exercise Your Right to Vote *** IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS Meeting Information MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. Meeting Type: Annual Meeting Date: May 7, 2010 Time: 9:30 a.m. CDT For holders as of: March 8, 2010 Location: McDermott International, Inc. 757 N. Eldridge Parkway 14th Floor Houston, Texas 77079 You are receiving this communication because you hold shares in the above named company. This is not a ballot. You cannot use this notice to vote MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. these shares. This communication presents only an 777 NORTH ELDRIDGE PARKWAY HOUSTON, TX 77079 overview of the more complete proxy materials that are available to you on the Internet. You may view the proxy materials online at www.proxyvote.com or easily request a paper copy (see reverse side). We encourage you to access and review all of the important information contained in the proxy materials before voting. See the reverse side of

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VOTE BY INTERNET -www.proxyvote.com

 


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Before You Vote How to Access the Proxy Materials Proxy Materials Available to VIEW or RECEIVE: NOTICE AND PROXY STATEMENT ANNUAL REPORT How to View Online: Have the 12-Digit Control Number available (located in the box on the following page) and visit: www.proxyvote.com. How to Request and Receive a PAPER or E-MAIL Copy: If you want to receive a paper or e-mail copy of these documents, you must request one. There is NO charge for requesting a copy. Please choose one of the following methods to make your request: 1) BY INTERNET: www.proxyvote.com 2) BY TELEPHONE: 1-800-579-1639 3) BY E-MAIL*: sendmaterial@proxyvote.com * If requesting materials by e-mail, please send a blank e-mail with the 12-Digit Control Number (located in the box on the following page) in the subject line. Requests, instructions and other inquiries sent to this e-mail address will NOT be forwarded to your investment advisor. Please make the request as instructed above on or before April 25, 2010 to facilitate timely delivery. How To Vote Please Choose One of the Following Voting Methods Vote In Person: Please check the meeting materials for any special requirements for meeting attendance. At the Meeting you will need to request a ballot to vote these shares. Vote By Internet: To vote now by Internet, go to www.proxyvote.com. Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 20109, 2012 (May 4, 2010 for participants in McDermott’s Thrift Plan). Have the 12 Digit Control Number (located in the box on M21026-P91520 the following page) available and follow the instructions. Vote By Mail or Telephone: You can vote by mail or telephone by requesting a paper copy of the materials, which will include a proxy card with further instructions.


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Voting Items The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the following: 1. Election of Directors Nominees: 01) John F. Bookout, III 07) Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr. 02) Roger A. Brown 08) D. Bradley McWilliams 03) Ronald C. Cambre 09) Richard W. Mies 04) John A. Fees 10) Thomas C. Schievelbein 05) Robert W. Goldman 11) David A. Trice 06) Stephen G. Hanks The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal: 2. Ratification of appointment of McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2010. P91520 -M21027


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M21028- P91520


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THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. M20989-P91520 MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. 777 NORTH ELDRIDGE PARKWAY HOUSTON, TX 77079 To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below. Please indicate if you plan to attend this meeting. For Against Abstain 2. Ratification of appointment of McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2010. For address changes and/or comments, please check this box and write them on the back where indicated. For All Withhold All For All Except 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yes No 0 0 0 Vote on Directors 01) John F. Bookout, III 02) Roger A. Brown 03) Ronald C. Cambre 04) John A. Fees 05) Robert W. Goldman 06) Stephen G. Hanks 1. Election of Directors Nominees: Vote on Proposal VOTE BY INTERNET — www.proxyvote.com Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 2010 (May 4, 20107, 2012 for participants in McDermott’s Thrift Plan). Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 20109, 2012 (May 4, 20107, 2012 for participants in McDermott’s Thrift Plan). Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:

M43299-P20059                         KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS

DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.

MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC.For
All
Withhold AllFor All
Except
To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below.
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following:

1.

Election of Directors

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Nominees:

01)    John F. Bookout, III

05)    D. Bradley McWilliams
02)    Roger A. Brown06)    Thomas C. Schievelbein
03)    Stephen G. Hanks07)    Mary Shafer-Malicki
04)    Stephen M. Johnson08)    David A. Trice
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposals:ForAgainstAbstain

2.

Advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation.

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3.

Ratification of the appointment of McDermott’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2012.

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The shares represented by this proxy when properly executed will be voted in the manner directed herein by the undersigned Stockholder(s).If no direction is made, this proxy will be voted FOR itemsALL for item 1, and 2.FOR items 2 and 3. If any other matters properly come before the meeting, the personpersons named in this proxy will vote in their discretion. The Board of Directors recommends that

For address changes and/or comments, please check this box and write them on the back where indicated.

Please indicate if you vote FOR the following: The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal: 07) Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr. 08) D. Bradley McWilliams 09) Richard W. Mies 10) Thomas C. Schievelbein 11) David A. Trice plan to attend this meeting.

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YesNo

Please sign your name exactly as it appears hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. When signing as joint tenants, all parties in the joint tenancy must sign. If a signer is a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by duly authorized officer.

Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX]Date        Signature (Joint Owners)                     Date        


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Address Changes/Comments: (If
LOGO

McDermott International, Inc.

Annual Meeting

Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

757 N. Eldridge Parkway, 14th Floor

Houston, Texas 77079

Dear Stockholder:

McDermott International, Inc. encourages you noted any Address Changes/Comments above, please mark corresponding box onto vote the reverse side.) shares electronically through the Internet or the telephone, which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This eliminates the need to return the proxy card.

Your electronic vote authorizes the named proxies in the same manner as if you marked, signed, dated and returned the proxy card.

If you choose to vote the shares electronically, there is no need for you to mail back the proxy card.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:

The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com

IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD ALONG PERFORATION,

DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE

M432100-P20059        

McDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC.

This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors

Annual Meeting of Stockholders — Friday,- Thursday, May 7, 2010 9:3010, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

The undersigned hereby appoints John A. FeesStephen M. Johnson and Liane K. Hinrichs, and each of them individually, as proxies, each with the power to appoint (his/her)his or her substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of Common Stock of MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (“McDermott”), that the stockholder(s) is/are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholder(s)Stockholders to be held at 9:3010:00 a.m. CDT,local time, on Friday,Thursday, May 7, 2010,10, 2012 at 757 N. Eldridge Parkway, 14th Floor,floor, Houston, TX,Texas 77079, and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED BY THE STOCKHOLDER(S). IF NO SUCH DIRECTIONS ARE MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES LISTED UNDER ITEM 1 ON THE REVERSE SIDE FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND FOR THE PROPOSAL. EACH OF ITEMS 2 AND 3.

THE UNDERSIGNED ACKNOWLEDGES RECEIPT OF MCDERMOTT’S ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 20092011 AND ITS NOTICE OF 20102012 ANNUAL MEETING AND RELATED PROXY STATEMENT.

ATTENTION PARTICIPANTS IN MCDERMOTT’S THRIFT PLAN: If you hold shares of McDermott common stock through Thethe McDermott Thrift Plan for Employees of McDermott Incorporated and Participating Subsidiary and Affiliated Companies (the “Thrift Plan”), this proxy covers all shares for which the undersigned has the right to give voting instructions to Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company (“Vanguard”), Trustee of the McDermott Thrift Plan. Your proxy must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 4, 2010.7, 2012. Any shares of McDermott common stock held in the Thrift Plan that are not voted or for which Vanguard does not receive timely voting instructions, will be voted in the same proportion as the shares for which Vanguard receives timely voting instructions from other participants in the Thrift Plan.

PLEASE MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY CARD PROMPTLY USING THE REPLY CARD ENVELOPE Important Notice Regarding

Address Changes/Comments:

(If you noted any Address Changes/Comments above, please mark corresponding box on the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com. reverse side.)

CONTINUED AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE M20990-P91520 IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD ALONG PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE Dear Stockholder: McDermott International, Inc. encourages you to vote the shares electronically through the Internet or the telephone, which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This eliminates the need to return the proxy card. Your electronic vote authorizes the named proxies in the same manner as if you marked, signed, dated and returned the proxy card. If you choose to vote the shares electronically, there is no need for you to mail back the proxy card. McDermott International, Inc. Annual Meeting Friday, May 7, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. 757 N. Eldridge Parkway, 14th Fl. Houston, TX 77079