Jumbo war of words over shrimp boats in Brunswick

BRUNSWICK - Angry shrimpers say Brunswick city leaders are spreading rumors of stealing and illegal dumping to crowd them out of city docks to make room for cruise ships, which bring in more money. <br> <br> A report by downtown development chief Bryan Thompson accused shrimp boat crews of stealing electricity, dumping refuse overboard at city docks and putting heavy steel cables in trash bins intended for household garbage. <br> <br> But shrimpers deny the allegations and say the city is only trying to push away the people for whom city docks were built in the first place. <br> <br> &#34;They&#39;re trying to take the dock and give it to them gambling ships and tourist ships,&#34; Shrimper Roy Purvis said. &#34;It&#39;s a community dock, but it was originally built so the fisherman could dock and unload their catch.&#34;<br> <br> Thompson says cruise and gambling ships rarely come to Brunswick anyway - making only a couple of dozen stops in an average year - and that shrimpers are distorting the facts. <br> <br> Thompson contends shrimp boats are taking advantage of the docks. <br> <br> He said the boats use them to offload tons of uninspected seafood and often run extension cords to gain access to electrical outlets and power boxes that were put in place for festivals and other special events. <br> <br> Shrimp boats pay far lower rental fees than cruise ships. Thompson said a 200-foot cruise ship brings the city $530 a night, while a 40-foot shrimp boat pays only 20 dollars a month.