SYDNEY, April 18 (Reuters) - Three consortia of Australian
and international funds have submitted bids for a 50-year lease
of the Port of Melbourne, Australia's biggest shipping container
terminal, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The state government of Victoria aims to raise at least
A$5.3 billion ($4.1 billion) before the end of 2016 in a
privatisation it launched last month.
Australian bank Macquarie Group 's MQG.AX Macquarie
Infrastructure and Real Assets fund has teamed up with domestic
infrastructure fund IFM Investors and Dutch pension fund APG in
one of the bidding groups, the people said, declining to be
identified because the matter was confidential.
Another joint bid was submitted by Australian fund QIC and
Canada's Borealis Infrastructure Trust, the people said. A third
consortium consisted of Australian fund Hastings with Kuwait's
Wren House, they said.
QIC and Hastings declined to comment, while officials at
Macquarie and IFM were not immediately available to comment.
Borealis, APG and Wren House didn't immediately respond to
requests for comment outside their normal business hours.
A spokesman for the Victorian state treasurer was not
available for comment immediately.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) and Flagstaff Partners were advising the
Victorian government on the sale.
($1 = 1.3036 Australian dollars)