Can you travel to the US (ultimately Philadelphia) from the UK by boat (for a fear-of-flying friend)? Any good web sites? Would it have to be a cruise? Any cheaper alternatives? Thanks.
Can't help you with contact details but there was an article in one of the broadsheets a couple of weeks ago (could have been weekend Telegraph/Times) where somebody was asking a similar question - it gave details of cargo companies that took fare paying passengers. It may be worth searching the newspapers' online archives for the past month or so.
I have seen several TV progs where container ships and the like carry about 10 passengers. You have to do your own entertainment and possibly cooking. I remember one ship was owned by Geest (as in bananas), so you will probably have to do a bit of a web search, but I think it is feasible.