RB - I won't say I'm surprised. Maybe someone's got shares in (or is after a complementary directorship of) one of the carriers. But I'll stubbornly persist in asking my question - what's the cheapest option?

Commercial carriers will always rip you off, it's their business. Buy the ships & you have to maintain them even when you've no real use for them (which, in this scenario, must be often). Buy the carriage when you need it, air is waaaaaay faster than sea, & there are any number of reasons why the US might reasonably be more accomadating than businessmen. Surely it's got to be more cost effective than the alternatives. Or have your politicians got their heads stuffed up thei....

Ah! That's the point isn't it? I forgot for a moment that it's pollys making the decisions. Silly me! Forget I asked... ;-)