system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What makes "ice-breaker" ships so different than regular ships that allows even the smallest ice-breaker ship to easily get through ice-covered waters that would pose a giant risk to a regular ship?
gpt
An ice breaker is built much stronger than a large ship. You might think that a large ship is unbreakable, but that is not so. It really doesn't take much to damage a ship beyond repair. A simple beaching onto sand in rough weather can do it!

They also have different shaped hulls. The main idea is that the hull is rounded, so it rides up on top of ice instead of trying to push through it. When the ship is on top of the ice, its huge weight breaks the ice. This shape of hull is not as good for normal water - it is less stable, so rocks more, and less efficient.

Riding up on top of the ice is basically pushing the ship out of the water. This requires enormous force. So an icebreaker has much more powerful engines.