Maersk has been named as a top recipient of a $720m bonanza the shipping industry has received from the US military for failing to return containers on time.

The huge bill has been clocked up since 2001 according to the newspaper, USA Today, which has been scrutinising wasteful spending against a background of budget cuts.

Container art in Kansas.
According to the publication the Pentagon can pay as much as $2,200 in fees for late returned shipping containers.

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