Rio Tinto says iron ore shipments run to schedule

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Global miner Rio Tinto is shipping iron ore to international customers as scheduled, including China, a company spokesman said on Wednesday when asked about a media report that trade was being disrupted.

"Shipments continue as scheduled and it's business as usual," the spokesman said, but he was unable to immediately clarify whether the company had stopped tendering shipments.

Earlier, the Steel Business Briefing was cited by the Financial Times as saying both Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton had stopped putting spot iron-ore shipments up for bid after the detention of four of Rio Tinto's China staff.

(Reporting by Bruce Hextall; editing by Mark Bendeich)