The JMississippi River is just one of the rivers that towboats operate. There are about 18 tributaries that towboats run on that empty into the Mississippi alone. I live on the Ohio River and the photo of the A. B. was taken at Paducah, Kentucky on the Lower Ohio about 35 miles from where the Ohio empties into the Mississippi. A standard tow is 15 barges pushing five long and three wide. That is for locking through the locks on the Ohio and Upper Mississippi without having to break the tow. There are no locks on the lower Mississippi so a common tow there is 36 to 42 barges.
Here's some info on the A. B.
Twin screw towboat built 1968 by Saint Louis Shipbuilding, St. Louis, Missouri. 170 x 45 (thats in feet)
Powered by two GM 16-645E7B diesels totaling 5400 hp.
Has kort nozzles. Owned by American River Transportation Co., St. Louis, MO
I've got a photo when I was aboard the G L FURR (140 x 45) making a hairpin turn the the water was washing over the gard clear up to the cabin. These big boats don't do any rocking or pitching. The main thing they have to contend with is the current and sandbars. It's funny that enpty barges can be pushed so easily by cross winds that a full tow of empties is a handfull to handle.