Refers specifically to a ship designed to break ice. Compare with 砕氷船, which is a more general term for icebreaking vessels.
See also: 砕氷船
The icebreaker ship breaks through the thick ice.
Compound of 砕氷 (saihyō, 'icebreaking') and 艦 (kan, 'warship; large vessel'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.