** U.S.-listed shares of copper miners rise premarket, tracking higher prices of the red metal

** Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange up 1% at $13,245 a metric ton, after touching $13,260 for its highest since January 14

** Copper prices rise as attention returns to expectations of strong demand and supply disruptions MET/

** Global mining giants Rio Tinto RIO.N gains 1.3% and BHP Group BHP.N climbs ~1%

** Southern Copper SCCO.N up 4.3% and Freeport-McMoRan FCX.N jumps ~5%

** Canada's Hudbay Minerals HBM.TO, HBM.N rises 5%, Teck Resources TECKb.TO, TECK.N up 4.2% and Ero Copper ERO.TO, ERO.N rise ~6%

(Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru)

((Dharna.bafna@thomsonreuters.com))