<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-5
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>d504280_ex5-2.txt
<DESCRIPTION>EX.5.2
<TEXT>
                              [Letterhead omitted]

                                                               EXHIBIT 5.2



August 11, 2004

Nordic American Tanker Shipping Limited
Canon's Court
22 Victoria Street
Hamilton HM EX
Bermuda

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We have acted as counsel to Nordic  American  Tanker  Shipping  Limited,  a
company organized under the laws of the Islands of Bermuda (the "Company"),  and
in such  capacity  we have  assisted  in the  preparation  and  filing  with the
Securities and Exchange  Commission (the "Commission")  under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), of a Registration  Statement on Form
F-3 (such registration statement and any additional registration statement filed
pursuant  to Rule  462(b) is referred  to as the  "Registration  Statement")  in
respect of the  contemplated  issuance by the Company from time to time of up to
$500,000,000  aggregate  public  offering  price (or any such further  aggregate
public  offering  price as may be  registered  pursuant  to Rule  462(b)) or the
equivalent  thereof  in  one or  more  foreign  currencies,  currency  units  or
composite  currencies  of (i)  senior  debt  securities  and  subordinated  debt
securities  (collectively  referred to as the "Debt  Securities"),  which may be
issued pursuant to separate indentures,  as amended or supplemented from time to
time,  between the Company and the trustee  named in the  applicable  indenture;
(ii) shares of preferred stock of the Company (the "Preferred Stock"); and (iii)
shares of common  stock of the  Company,  par value $0.01 per share (the "Common
Stock").  The Debt  Securities,  Preferred  Stock and Common Stock are hereafter
referred to as the "Securities."

     As such counsel,  we have examined such papers,  documents and certificates
of public  officials and  certificates of the officers of the Company as we have
deemed relevant and necessary as the basis for the opinions hereafter expresses.

     In such examinations, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures and
the  authenticity  of  all  documents  submitted  to us  as  originals  and  the
conformity to original  documents of all documents  submitted to us as conformed
or photostatic copies.

     Based upon the foregoing and having regard to legal considerations which we
deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

1.   Upon the  fixing of the  designations,  relative  rights,  preferences  and
     limitations  of any series of Preferred  Stock by the Board of Directors of
     the Company and any proper and valid  filing  with the  authorities  of the
     Islands of Bermuda of a statement setting forth a copy of the resolution of
     the Board of Directors  establishing such series of Preferred Stock and the
     number of shares of such  Preferred  Stock to be issued,  all in conformity
     with the  Company's  Memorandum  of  Association  and Amended and  Restated
     Bye-Laws  and upon the approval of the Board of Directors of the Company of
     the specific terms of the issuance,  all necessary  corporate action on the
     part of the Company will have been taken to authorize the issuance and sale
     of such series of Preferred  Stock proposed to be sold by the Company,  and
     when such  shares of  Preferred  Stock are  issued  and  delivered  against
     payment  therefor  in  accordance  with the  applicable  agreement  or upon
     conversion or exchange in accordance  with the terms of any other  Security
     that has been duly authorized,  issued, paid for an delivered,  such shares
     will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

2.   The shares of Common Stock, when the terms of the issuance and sale thereof
     have been  duly  approved  by the  Board of  Directors  of the  Company  in
     conformity  with the Company's  Memorandum of  Association  and Amended and
     Restated Bye-Laws and when issued and delivered against payment therefor in
     accordance with the applicable  agreement or upon conversion or exchange of
     any Security that has been duly authorized, issued, paid for and delivered,
     will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

3.   When the  specific  terms of a  particular  Debt  Security  have  been duly
     authorized  by the Board of  Directors  of the Company and  established  in
     accordance  with the  applicable  indenture and such Debt Security has been
     duly executed, authenticated,  issued for value and delivered in accordance
     with  the  applicable  indenture,  such  Debt  Security  will be a  binding
     obligation  of the Company,  enforceable  against the Company in accordance
     with its terms,  except as  enforceability  may be  limited by  bankruptcy,
     insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance or other laws relating to
     or affecting  creditors' rights generally and subject to general principles
     of equity,  including  application by a court of competent  jurisdiction of
     principles  of  good  faith,  fair  dealing,   commercial   reasonableness,
     materiality,  unconscionability  and conflict  with public  policy or other
     similar principles.

     We are  members  of the bar of the State of New York,  and this  opinion is
limited  to the law of the State of New York and the  Federal  law of the United
States.  In rendering  this  opinion,  to the extent that the matters  discussed
herein relate,  or are affected by, the laws of the Islands of Bermuda,  we have
relied on the opinion of Appleby Spurling Hunter, a copy of which is included as
Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement.

     We  hereby  consent  to the  use  of  this  opinion  as an  exhibit  to the
Registration  Statement  and to the  reference  to our  name  in the  prospectus
contained therein,  without admitting we are "experts" within the meaning of the
Securities Act or the rules and  regulations of the Commission  thereunder  with
respect to any part of the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do
not  thereby  admit  that we are in the  category  of persons  whose  consent is
required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.

     This opinion may not, without our prior written consent,  be used or relied
upon by any person other than the Company.

                                         Very truly yours,

                                         /s/ SEWARD & KISSEL LLP


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