** Shares of offshore drilling services provider Helix Energy rise 1.7% to $11.36
** HLX is exploring strategic options, including a potential sale, Bloomberg News reports, citing people familiar with matter
** "Deliberations are in the early stages and there’s no certainty that Helix will decide to pursue a sale," report adds
** Helix did not respond to a Reuters request for comment
** YTD, shares up about 9%
(Reporting by Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru)
((Srivastava.Vallari@thomsonreuters.com;))